Emotional and behavioral components of infertility-related stress experienced by infertile women

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Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of infertility-related stress experienced by infertile women. We studied such components of the stress of infertility as anxiety, depression, coping strategies, emotional schemes, as well as the psychological component of the quality of life. The aim of the study was to study the characteristics of individual components of the stress of infertility, such us anxiety, depression, emotional schemas and coping strategies. The following research methods were selected: A. Beck’s Anxiety Scale, A. Beck’s Depression Scale; questionnaire of the study of the quality of life in infertility FertiQoL J. Boivin; R. Leahy Scale of Emotional Schemes Questionnaire (LESS II); COPE coping strategies questionnaire in adaptation by T.O. Gordeeva, E.N. Osin, E.A. Rasskazova, O.A. Sychev, V.Yu. Shevyakhova. 33 women with infertility (main group) and 33 women without infertility and not planning pregnancy in the near future were studied. The results of the study revealed such characteristics of women with infertility as insufficient satisfaction with the quality of life, subjectively felt emotional discomfort, insufficient social support and some dissatisfaction with marital relations. At the same time, subclinical levels of anxiety-depressive symptoms are accompanied by a general tension of emotional schemes, the prevalence of such schemes, “Feelings of guilt for their own emotions”, “Lack of meaningfulness”, “Invalidation of emotions by others”, “Predicted duration of emotions”, “Tendency to ruminate”, “A simplified idea of emotions”. Behavioral strategies in a stressful situation in women with the stress of infertility are characterized by inflexibility, a tendency to avoidance and denial, and the rare use of positive reformulation and humor. The study revealed the presence of various supporting stress factors of infertility characteristic of women suffering from infertility: insufficient satisfaction with the quality of life, subjectively felt emotional discomfort, insufficient social support and dissatisfaction with marital relations. At the same time, subclinical levels of anxiety-depressive symptoms are accompanied by a general tension of emotional schemes and limited behavioral strategies in a stressful situation.

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About the authors

Victoria N. Kargol

Belgorod State University

Author for correspondence.
Email: vngor@mail.ru

Assistant, Department of General and Clinical Psychology

Russian Federation, Belgorod

Marina V. Zemlianykh

Saint Petersburg State Pediatric Medical University of the Ministry of Healthcare of the Russian Federation

Email: mvz6@mail.ru

MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Psychosomatic and Psychotherapy

Russian Federation, Petersburg

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