Demand-oriented Cognitive-behavioural Intervention for Couples with Infertility (FERTIFIT): A Pilot Study about Development, Feasibility and Acceptance

Abstract

The worldwide prevalence for infertility varies between 4-17%, and in western countries about one out of seven couples with child wish is affected. The experience of infertility is associated with a risk for psychological and dyadic distress, which is characterized by partners influencing each other mutually in their individual condition. Nevertheless, there is a gap in psychotherapy supplies for couples suffering from infertility. This pilot study introduces a feasible, demand-oriented and cognitive behavioural couple therapy concept for couples with infertility. It was designed to foster dyadic coping of typical infertility-related problems and thereby to prevent increasing distress. 21 heterosexual couples attended this study in a within-subjects wait list control group design. Depending to the couple's demand, the intervention included 5-10 couple therapy sessions. Psychological and infertility-related distress, couple relationship quality and the application of individual and dyadic resources were assessed by questionnaires at four time points (M1=pre wait control phase, M2=pre intervention, M3=post intervention, M4=post catamnesis). Women reported improved psychological and infertility-related distress, and applied more resources fostering subjective well-being, active coping and emotion regulation. Over the course of the intervention, men reported having experienced more helpful support, and women and men applied more dyadic coping strategies. In the evaluation, women and men reported high satisfaction with the intervention in general and with the support provided. The findings point toward good feasibility and acceptance of this intervention in clinical psychotherapy practice and provide preliminary evidence for possible intended effects. Due to the study's design and limitations, however, the effects cannot be distinctly attributed to the intervention. The strength of the presented study lies in the introduction of a demand-oriented couple therapy concept that is feasible and well employable in clinical practice. A subsequent larger-scale clinical trial with a randomized-controlled study design is necessary to examine and verify the effects.