İnfertil Kadınların COVID-19 Pandemisi Sırasında Anksiyete, Umutsuzluk Düzeyleri ve Etkileyen Faktörler: Kesitsel Bir Araştırma

Abstract

Objective: The aim was to identify anxiety and hopelessness levels of infertile women during coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the factors affecting these variables. Material and Methods: Designed as a descriptive study, the research was conducted from September 20 to November 15 in 2020 (n=231). Women diagnosed with infertility across Türkiye were included in the study. A questionnaire was created on the website 'surveyy.com', and women were asked to respond by sharing the link to the questionnaire via social media groups related to infertility through the researchers' accounts. Results: In the study, it was found that the participant women had high levels of state anxiety and medium levels of hopelessness. As per the multiple linear regression analysis, it was identified that there was a positive association between the anxiety and hopelessness levels of the participant women (p<0.001). 'Education level of the participant women's spouses' and 'state of having pregnancy in the past' had statistically significant associations with women's state anxiety level and hopelessness levels (p<0.0001). It is found that 'whether COVID-19 pandemic affected the infertility treatment' had statistically significant associations with women's state anxiety levels and hopelessness levels (p<0.0001). Conclusion: Considering the pandemic with which we are currently faced and the similar situations with which we are likely to be confronted in the future, it is necessary to have international guidelines and mobile applications which provide measures for protecting the mental health of the women whose infertility treatment processes are interrupted.