Infertility and marital adjustment: the influence of perception of social support, privacy preference and level of depression

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of perception of social support, privacy preference and level of depression on marital adjustment for couples presenting for infertility treatment. Data was obtained from three infertility clinics in Louisiana from January 1, 2001 through October 1, 2001. Forty-seven couples presenting for infertility treatment completed four questionnaires measuring marital adjustment, perception of social support, privacy preference and level of depression. Demographic and descriptive information was gathered from an information sheet completed by the subjects. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine which, if any, of the independent variables predicted the dependent variable of marital adjustment for couples, husbands and wives. Results indicated that when using couples’ scores, perception of social support from significant other and privacy reference for solitude explained a significant amount of the variance in couple marital adjustment; when using husbands’ and wives scores’, husbands’ perception of social support from significant other and privacy preference for solitude contributed significantly to the explained variance in couples’ marital adjustment. When predicting husbands’ marital adjustment, only couples’ perception of social support from significant other and husbands’ perception of social support from significant other were significant contributors to the explained variance. Privacy preference for solitude and perception of social support from significant other contributed significantly to the explained variance in wives’ marital adjustment when using couples’ scores. The strongest model was found when using husbands and wives’ scores to predict wives’ marital adjustment. Wives’ privacy preference for solitude, level of depression, perception of social support from significant other and from friends and husbands’ privacy preference for solitude combined to predict a significant amount of variance for wives’ marital adjustment. Findings from this study have implications for social work practice. As the prevalence of infertility rises, social workers who may be in a position to assist couples in coping with the experience of infertility can use these findings to help address the special issues involved and possible risks to marital adjustment for couples presenting for infertility treatment.