FR 2-6
03/04
Abstract
Infertility and Psychological
Distress Among Women
Prepared by:
Rachel Neal
Personal and Family Relationships
Assistant Specialist
Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
333 HES, Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, OK 74078
(405) 744-6231
nrachel@okstate.edu
McQuillan, J.,
Greil, A. L., White, L., & Jacob, M. C. (2003). Frustrated
fertility: Infertility and psychological distress among women.
Journal of Marriage and Family, 65, 1007-1018.
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implications for
Cooperative Extension
Many families are faced with
problems of infertility when attempting to have a child. The
distress of infertility can be difficult for individual
members of the family, as well as harmful to the health of the
relationships between members of the family. Therefore, it is
important for family life educators to know the psychological
effects of infertility |
OVERVIEW
Ten to fifteen percent of American women
ages 15 to 44 experience current fertility impairment. Infertile
individuals describe feelings of distress, loss of control, social
isolation, and stigma when couples try unsuccessfully to achieve
pregnancy; and infertility treatments may also be of equal or
greater distress, as they are invasive, expensive, time-consuming,
and emotionally draining. The present study investigates whether
women with lifetime infertility report greater psychological
distress.
METHODOLOGY AND RESULTS
A random sample of women ages 25-50 were
interviewed to assess whether women with lifetime infertility report
greater psychological distress and whether the relationship between
infertility and distress depends on resources or social roles.
Respondents answered questions regarding distress (depressive
symptoms), infertility, resources (education, income, race/ethnic
status), and social roles (mother, spouse/partner, employee,
maternal satisfaction, relationship satisfaction, job satisfaction).
The results are as follows:
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Infertility is associated with
substantial and significant long-term psychological distress only
for women with no children at all. However, those who are
infertile are less distressed when income is higher.
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It is important to note that those
without fertility problems are not distressed by the absence
of children. Therefore, it is not childlessness or infertility
alone that predicts distress for those who are infertile, but the
combination of both (i.e., involuntary childlessness).
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