فاطمه صالحی مقدم

Objective: Infertility is not merely a medical condition affecting women but a biopsychosocial health issue that encompasses lower quality of life, psychiatric disorders, and even marital conflicts. The aim of this study was to predict marital intimacy based on infertility stigma and coping strategies in infertile women. Method: This applied research was descriptive-correlational in nature. The population included all infertile women in Tehran in the year 2020. From this group, 250 participants were selected using purposive sampling. The participants were assessed using the Thompson and Walker (1983) Marital Intimacy Scale, Fu’s (2014) Perceived Infertility Stigma Scale, and Folkman and Lazarus’s (1985) Coping Strategies Scale. Data were analyzed using SPSS software, version 23. Findings: Data analysis revealed that infertility stigma and coping strategies significantly predict marital intimacy in infertile women at the 0.01 level (p < .01, F(6, 249) = 45.877). Infertility stigma and coping strategies explained 53.1% of the variance in marital intimacy. The t-tests for significance in regression for self-devaluation (β = -.189, p = .001), social rejection (β = -.143, p = .003), family shame (β = -.279, p = .001), emotion-focused coping style (β = .351, p = .001), and problem-focused coping style (β = .251, p = .001) were significant at the level below .01. Among the sub-scales of infertility stigma, family shame and among the coping strategies, emotion-focused coping style had a more significant unique contribution in predicting marital intimacy. Conclusion: Infertility stigma and coping strategies can be used to predict marital intimacy among infertile women.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of self-compassion training on reducing loneliness and improving health-related quality of life in infertile women. Methods: A randomized controlled trial design was used, involving 30 infertile women recruited from a specialized infertility treatment center. Participants were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 15) receiving eight sessions of self-compassion training or a control group (n = 15) with no intervention. Assessments were conducted at baseline, post-intervention, and at a five-month follow-up using the Loneliness Questionnaire and the Health-Related Quality of Life Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA and Bonferroni post-hoc tests. Findings: The experimental group showed significant reductions in loneliness from pre-test (M = 45.32, SD = 6.45) to post-test (M = 30.21, SD = 5.28) and follow-up (M = 31.12, SD = 5.34), while the control group remained stable. Health-related quality of life significantly improved in the experimental group from pre-test (M = 62.45, SD = 7.34) to post-test (M = 78.53, SD = 6.78) and follow-up (M = 77.95, SD = 6.65), with minimal changes in the control group. ANOVA results indicated significant time and group interactions for both loneliness (F(2, 56) = 67.03, p < .001, η² = .71) and health-related quality of life (F(2, 56) = 113.20, p < .001, η² = .80). Conclusion: Self-compassion training is effective in reducing loneliness and improving health-related quality of life in infertile women. These benefits were sustained at the five-month follow-up, highlighting the long-term potential of self-compassion interventions in supporting the psychological well-being of infertile women.