The social support as a mediator between the infertility stress and depression among infertile female in the Gaza Strip.

Abstract

Aims: The aims of the study were to investigate the mediation of social support between infertility related stress and depression, and to evaluate the level of infertility related stress, depression and social support among infertile females in Gaza strip in relation to income. Study Design: cross sectional descriptive analytic design was used. Sample: One hundred and twenty four(124) participants were randomly chosen from the five private fertility Clinics in Gaza Strip. Tools: Demographic, Beck Depression Inventory, Social support Questionnaire, and Fertility Problem Inventory (FPI) questionnaires were used. Results: The results shows that there is both a direct and an indirect effect of infertility related stress on the prediction of depression. The indirect effect is mediated by the perceived social support. The level of perceived social support was negatively correlated with FPI score (r = .21, p = .005) and BDI score (r = -.35, p < .001). Conclusion: We can conclude that social support mediates the relationship between infertility related stress and depression which underscores the importance of social support to maintain the mental health of women who suffer from infertility problem , and the importance of psychosocial support programs for this group to protect them from mental illness in general and depression in particular and anxiety.