The Role of Spiritual Factors in Predicting Depression in Women with Primary Infertility

Abstract

Background: Scrutinizing the spiritual factors in human psychological well-being needs to be taken into serious attention. This research intended to examine the role of spiritual factors (spiritual intelligence, spiritual welling-being, God image) in predicting depression in women with primary infertility Methods The design of the research was based on a correlational research study. The study population consisted of all women with primary infertility in Tabriz. Using the convineience non-random sampling method, 270 participants were selected. In the process of collecting data, King's (2008) Spiritual Intelligence Scale, Paloutzian and Ellison's (1982) Spiritual Well-being Scale, Lawrence's (1997) God Image Scale, and the Beck Depression Inventory (1961) were used. Results: According to the multiple regression, 70% of the changes in infertile women’s depression was due to the combined set of the variables of spiritual intelligence, spiritual welling-being and God image. Also, the spiritual well-being variable with a beta value of -0.44 was a stronger predictor than other independent variables for the infertile women’s depression. Also, the variables of God image and spiritual intelligence have ranked second and third with beta values of -025 and -024, respectively. Conclusion: Based on the results, the combined set of predictor variables significantly explain depression of infertile women. The outcomes of the research show that infertility is not a medical problem only, and experts should seriously consider the relationship between primary infertility and the general psychological health of infertile women. In fact, positive human psychological capitals are capable of significantly reducing the difficulty and bitterness of negative psychological experiences and leading a person to experience psychological well-being. Practical Implications: Considering that infertility is a multifaceted problem and adversely affects infertile women’s life, it seems feasible to enrich the lives of these individuals with more training in the dimension of spiritual well-being. Overall, it is concluded that the use of the spiritual dimension of human beings can be considered as a powerful shield to reduce the symptoms of depression and increase psychological well-being; therefore, spirituality-oriented factors in the process of diagnosis and treatment deserve much more attention than it receives.