Marital cohesion, social support, religiosity, infertility diagnosis, and pregnancy outcome as mediating factors in the individual's adjustment to infertility
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to introduce the General Infertility Model and present preliminary research findings which consider the role of marital cohesion, social support, religiosity, infertility diagnosis, and pregnancy outcome as factors predicting the level of stress and depression experienced by women and men pursuing Advanced Reproductive Technology (ART) cycles. Forty-two couples pursuing ART cycles completed self-report measures pre- and post-treatment. Although women in this study were significantly more stressed and depressed than men prior to initiation of an ART cycle, the statistical analyses demonstrated that women and men did not significantly differ with regard to the level of change (pre-post) in depression and stress experienced following ART cycles. Knowledge of pregnancy outcome significantly helped predict post-treatment depression in women and men, and post-treatment stress for women. The remaining independent variables (marital cohesion, religiosity, and social support) did not prove to be significant predictors of post-treatment depression and stress. Implications of these findings are discussed.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Thomas, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Social psychology|Mental health|Families & family life|Personal relationships|Sociology
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