Infertile Women

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 compare the effectiveness of compassion-focused therapy (CFT) and schema therapy on psychological well-being and sense of coherence among infertile women. Methods and Materials: A quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest-follow-up design with a control group was used. Thirty infertile women referring to Saarem Hospital in Tehran during the first half of 2024 were randomly assigned to three groups: CFT (n=10), schema therapy (n=10), and waitlist control (n=10). The CFT group received eight sessions, and the schema therapy group received ten sessions. Psychological well-being was assessed using the 18-item Ryff Psychological Well-Being Scale, and sense of coherence was measured with the Flensborg et al. (2006) Sense of Coherence Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) and Bonferroni post-hoc tests. Findings: MANCOVA results showed significant differences between groups on both psychological well-being and sense of coherence at posttest (Wilks’ Lambda = .350, F(4,54)=18.76, p<.001). Univariate tests indicated significant group effects on psychological well-being (F(2,27)=18.45, p<.001) and sense of coherence (F(2,27)=22.13, p<.001). Post-hoc analyses revealed that CFT significantly improved psychological well-being compared to schema therapy and control at posttest (p<.05), while schema therapy led to greater improvements in sense of coherence compared to CFT and control (p<.05). Both interventions maintained their effects at the one-month follow-up. Conclusion: The findings suggest that compassion-focused therapy is more effective in enhancing psychological well-being, whereas schema therapy is more effective in strengthening sense of coherence among infertile women. Both interventions showed sustained benefits over time, highlighting the importance of incorporating structured psychological treatments into infertility care to promote adaptive functioning and resilience.