The relationship between infertility, coping and women`s psychological well-being

Abstract

This study was carried out to examine the relationship between infertility, coping and women’s well-being. A convenience sample of 49 women with fertility problems and 51 fertile women participated in this study. They were asked to complete a questionnaire consisting of scales measuring their coping strategies and psychological well-being. It was hypothesized that (1) women with fertility problems would report lower psychological well-being than fertile women, and (2) coping would moderate the relationship between infertility and psychological well-being such that those who used emotion-focused coping would report lower psychological well-being than those who used problem-focused coping regardless of infertility. t-tests and hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted to test for the hypotheses. Results showed that infertility was not a significant predictor of psychological well-being, and there was no evidence of coping acting as a moderator in the hypothesized relationship. Limitations and implications of research were highlighted.