Using artistic activities within experiential psychotherapy to alleviate the psychological consequences of female infertility

Abstract

Female infertility is associated with a wide range of psychological consequences, including heightened depressive and anxiety symptoms, impaired quality of life, and self-esteem. Considering the paucity of data regarding psychological interventions tailored for female infertility, this case study is aimed at providing preliminary evidence related to the treatment protocol and outcomes of an experiential psychotherapy intervention that uses artistic activities tailored for female infertility. The Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), Fertility Quality of Life International (FertiQoL), Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WCQ), Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS), and California Psychological Inventory, Femininity Scale (Fe-CPI), were used pre- and post-treatment for assessing psychological correlates of infertility. The psychological treatment consisted of three psychological assessments and seven experiential psychotherapy group sessions. Experiential techniques, mindfulness techniques, and artistic activities were used during the group sessions, in order to modify psychological maladaptive mechanisms associated with female infertility. Self-report results showed that the experiential psychotherapy intervention enhanced the quality of life, coping strategies, and femininity personality trait. Throughout the experiential intervention, the participant redefined her perspective on infertility and motherhood. On the other hand, the participant reported lowered levels of dyadic adjustment at post-treatment. This case study illustrates the beneficial effects of using artistic activities in experiential psychotherapy for female infertility.