Examining the congruence between couples’ infertility-related stress and its relationship to depression and marital adjustment in infertile men and women.

Abstract

Objective: While studies often examine the impact of infertility-related stress on individuals, there has been little research that examines partner data and how relationship and individual variables are linked. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of congruence (e.g., agreement) between couples’ infertility-related stress and its effects on depression and marital adjustment in infertile men and women. Design: This study employed an exploratory study design utilizing data collected on patients referred for infertility treatments at a University-affiliated teaching hospital. Materials/Methods: Participants completed the Fertility Problem Inventory (FPI), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS) three months prior to their first treatment cycle. Differences between couple’s perceptions of infertility-related stress, as well as the level of congruence the couple had regarding the stress were examined in relation to their effect on individual levels of depression and marital adjustment. Independent samples t-tests, correlation coefficients, regression analyses, and one-way ANOVAs were used to analyze study results. Results: Females perceived infertility as more stressful than males on each of the five sub-scales of the FPI. They also reported higher mean depression scores when compared to men. Males and females did not differ significantly in their reports of marital adjustment. When examining dyadic variables, female depression scores were significantly correlated with couple difference scores on all six scales of the FPI, while male’s depression scores did not correlate significantly with any sub-scale. Regression analyses showed differences between couple’s evaluations of infertility-related stress were predictive of female depression, but not male depression. Analyses of variance were used to assess the impact of congruence between couples using three independent groups: couples in which the female stress was greater than the male’s stress; couples in which the stress levels for both partners were equal; and couples in which the male’s stress was greater than the female’s stress. Couples whose stress levels were equal constituted the congruent group. Men and women in couples who reported congruence concerning the impact of infertility-related stress had significantly lower levels of depression when compared to couples in which males and females experienced a greater amount of stress than their partners. In terms of marital adjustment, men and women in couples who reported congruence concerning the impact of infertility-related stress reported significantly higher levels of adjustment when compared to couples who differed in their appraisals of the stress. Conclusions: This study provided support for the hypothesis that couples experiencing congruence on measures of infertility-related stress report lower scores of depression on the BDI and higher scores of marital adjustment on the DAS, especially when differences are measured in terms of sexual, social, and relationship concern. These findings also support prior research which shows that high levels of agreement between couples related to the stresses they experience helps them successfully manage the impact of these stressful life events. Supported By: Christopher R. Newton, Ph.D.