Quality Of Marital Relationship Research Articles

A cross-sectional study of anxiety and marital quality among women with breast cancer at a university clinic in western Saudi Arabia.

Objectives:To examine relationship between the quality of marital relationship and anxiety among women with breast cancer (BC) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).Methods:This cross-sectional study recruited a consecutive series of 49 married women with BC seen in the Al-Amoudi Breast Cancer Center of Excellence at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, KSA in early 2013. Participants completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Spouse Perception Scale, and Quality of Marriage Index forms, and answered questions on demographic and cancer characteristics.Results:Anxiety symptoms indicating “possible” anxiety disorder were present in 10.4% and “probable” anxiety disorder in 14.6% (25% total). No significant relationship was found between the quality of marital relationship and anxiety symptoms (B=-0.04, standard error=0.05, t=-0.81, p=0.42). Anxiety was primarily driven by low education, poor socioeconomic status, and young age.Conclusion:Anxiety symptoms are prevalent among married women with BC seen in a university-based clinic in the KSA. Further research is needed to determine whether a diagnosis of BC adversely affects marital relationship, and whether this is the cause for anxiety in these women.

Sexual Dysfunction and Help Seeking Behaviors in Newly Married Men in Sari City: a Descriptive.

Sexual dysfunction is a major concern for people's general health. The aim of this study was to determine the status of sexual function and help-seeking behaviors in newly married men. This descriptive study was conducted on 363 newly married men. Simple random sampling was used according to premarital counseling offices in the health center of Sari city. Data collection instruments included personal and social characteristics, Arizona Sexual Experience Scale (ASEX), and help-seeking behaviors questionnaires. In order to determine the relationship between characteristics and sexual function, general linear model and also between socio-demographic characteristics and receiving or lack of receiving help, multivariate logistic regression test were used. The mean of sexual function score was 21.3 (2.7) out of possible 5-30, and 26% of men suffered sexual dysfunction. The highest prevalence (27.2%) of dysfunction was in the dimension of sexual stimulation, and the lowest (15.7%) in maintaining erection. For the treatment of sexual dysfunction, only 32% men had sought help, and 40% of them had visited specialists. The most frequent reasons for not seeking help were feeling uncomfortable with doctor, and their belief that doctor is not able to do much. 65% of men desired to be treated. The results demonstrated relatively high prevalence of sexual dysfunction among men, and unfortunately, most of them did not seek help for their sexual problem. Since Sexual dysfunction can leave damaging effects on the quality of life and marital relationship, interventions to deal with these challenges and screening to identify such problems appear necessary.

Common mental disorders among women, social circumstances and toddler growth in rural Vietnam: a population-based prospective study.

Common mental disorders (CMD) and adverse social circumstances are widespread among mothers of infants and toddlers in resource-constrained settings. These can undermine early childhood development through compromised caregiving and insufficient access to essential resources. The aim was to examine the effect of maternal CMD and social adversity in the post-partum year on toddler's length-for-age index in a rural low-income setting. A population-based prospective cohort study of women in Ha Nam province, Vietnam who completed baseline assessments in either late pregnancy or 4-6 weeks post partum and were followed up, with their toddlers, 15 months later. CMD were assessed at both points by psychiatrist-administered Structured Clinical Interviews for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition Diagnoses. Anthropometric indices were calculated from toddler's age, sex, weight and length using World Health Organization Child Growth Standards. Social adversities were assessed by study-specific questions and locally validated psychometric instruments. The hypothesized model of factors governing toddler's length-for-age Z score (LAZ) was tested using path analysis. In total, 211/234 (90.1%) mother-toddler pairs provided complete data. Baseline prevalence of CMD among women was 33.6% and follow-up was 18.5%. The mean LAZ among toddlers was -1.03 and stunting prevalence (LAZ < -2) was 15.6%. Maternal CMD at baseline were indirectly related to toddler LAZ via maternal CMD at follow-up (regression coefficient = -0.05, 95% CI -0.11 to -0.01). Maternal CMD at follow-up was associated significantly with toddler LAZ (regression coefficient = -0.15, 95% CI -0.28 to -0.05). Poorer quality of marital relationship, mothers' experiences of childhood abuse and <30 days dedicated post-partum care were associated indirectly with lower toddler LAZ via maternal CMD. Maternal post-natal CMD are associated with child growth measured by LAZ in this resource-constrained setting. Social adversities affect child growth indirectly through increasing the risk of maternal CMD. Interventions to reduce stunting in low-income settings may need to address maternal CMD and social adversities in order to improve impact.

Attachment States of Mind and Couple Relationships in Couples Seeking to Adopt

We present the results of a study carried out in Italy with 39 Italian couples seeking to adopt, aged between 35 and 45 years, and 39 matched non-adoptive couples which compared their attachment states of mind with respect to caregivers and partners and quality of couple relationship. Both partners of the couples completed individually measures of attachment to caregiver (Adult Attachment Interview; AAI), attachment to partner (Current Relationship Interview; CRI and Experiences in Close Relationships Scale-Revised; ECR-R) and marital quality (Dyadic Adjustment Scale; DAS). The results showed that couples seeking to adopt did not differ from the control group with respect to attachment to caregivers (AAI). However potential adoptive fathers were more likely to show secure attachment classifications with respect to partner (CRI) than non-adoptive fathers. Finally, couples seeking to adopt expressed higher levels of positive feelings and thoughts within the couple relationship (ECR-R) and better perceived quality of marital relationship (DAS) than the control group. Overall, these findings suggested that couples seeking to adopt placed a high value on attachment relationships, which is considered a relevant factor for positive outcome of adoption.

Estranged Wife, Other Man’s Beloved

Amid societal constraints, difficult repercussions, and double-standard morality on sexuality that favors the male members of their society, eight Filipino women engaged in extramarital affairs. To answer the question “Why did they commit and endure the affair?” a phenomenological life-world approach explored their perspectives regarding the triggering and perpetuating factors of their extramarital relationships (EMR). The analysis revealed their standpoints that negatively perceived marital relationship quality, paternal neglect of children, increasing opportunities for EMR, that is, workplace and mobile technology, and positively perceived extramarital–alternative familial relationship quality emerged as the women’s reasons behind the decision to engage and endure in the affair.

L’anxiété paternelle et maternelle postnatale et ses liens avec les dimensions relationnelles

Aim of the studyThis study examined postpartum functioning of mothers and fathers so as to assess their interpersonal dimensions and potential needs of support. A second goal was to identify – among these psychosocial factors – those, which were associated with parental postnatal anxiety. MethodOne hundred and four volunteer couples were studied longitudinally at the first and the third postpartum month (52 fathers and 52 mothers living in heterosexual couple; 29 “primiparents” and 23 “multiparents”). Individual questionnaires on state anxiety (STAI-Y), social support (SSQ6), dyadic adjustment (DAS16), and importance of support needs (instrumental and emotional) were used. ResultsThe fathers presented similar means scores both on the situational anxiety, social support (quality and quantity), marital adjustment and needs of support than mothers. The social support, the dyadic adjustment and the needs of emotional support significantly predicted postpartum anxiety on our entire sample. Some differences in the timing and parental sex were revealed. During the first month, the dyadic adjustment and the needs of emotional support were significantly and independently associated with both paternal and maternal anxiety. During the third month, the results showed that the main psychosocial factor, namely quality of marital relationship, contributed to paternal anxiety; whereas it was social support in group of mothers. ConclusionThe key findings of this study are twofold. On one hand, the two groups – fathers and mothers – presented similar results about interpersonal variables and anxiety levels. We suggest that new ways of supporting men becoming parent should be developed. We also found that dyadic adjustment significantly predicted postpartum paternal anxiety, thus new parents could be given a support on the communication between the couple.

Does Engagement Matter? Marital Intentions and Relationship Quality Among Cohabiting African Americans

Despite growing cohabitation rates, few studies have examined the relationship between engagement status and relationship quality among cohabiting couples, especially among Black Americans. This study used data from 30 cohabiting Black couples (n = 60) to examine whether perceptions of love, commitment, relationship satisfaction, and intimacy problems differ by whether cohabitors are engaged to be married. Results indicated that engaged Black cohabitors reported higher love scores than non-engaged Black cohabitors. They also had slightly more intimacy problems, but only in bivariate models. There were no significant differences in commitment or satisfaction between engaged and non-engaged Black cohabitors. Additional analyses revealed no variation in effect of engagement on relationship quality by gender. Results suggest that practitioners and policymakers should be careful not to make assumptions about relationship quality according to engagement status or gender in cohabiting Black relationships. The meaning and implications of engagement among cohabiting Black Americans may be changing.

Effects of communication styles on marital satisfaction and distress of parents of pediatric cancer patients: a prospective longitudinal study.

The aim of this study was to examine the longitudinal effects of communication styles on marital satisfaction and distress of parents of children treated for cancer. Marital dissatisfaction (Maudsley Marital Questionnaire), intimacy, avoidance, destructive and incongruent communication (Communication Skills Inventory) and psychological distress (General Health Questionnaire) were assessed in 115 parents of pediatric cancer patients shortly after diagnosis (T1) and 5 years later (T2). Only mothers' marital dissatisfaction increased significantly over time. No gender differences in dissatisfaction were found. Mothers had a significantly higher lack of intimacy score than fathers. All T1 communication styles were significantly univariately related to fathers' and mothers' T2 marital dissatisfaction, while not to T2 distress. Mothers' T1 marital dissatisfaction accounted for 67% and fathers' for 12% in the explained variance of T2 dissatisfaction. T1 destructive communication uniquely affected fathers' T2 marital dissatisfaction and T1 avoidant communication that of mothers. Five years after cancer diagnosis in their children, the quality of parents' marital relationships seemed largely unchanged. Parents' use of communication skills at diagnosis appeared to have limited effect on their marital dissatisfaction and no effect on their distress 5 years later. While avoidant communication seemed indicative of mothers' marital distress, fathers' seemed affected by destructive communication.

L’accouchement prématuré : une naissance traumatique ? Symptômes de stress posttraumatique et variables associées

ObjectivesWhile researches focusing on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms following childbirth tend to develop, few studies have been conducted on French samples. The aim of the current study was to explore the prevalence rate of women developing postpartum PTSD following preterm birth and highlighting associated features. Patients and methodIn the 4weeks following the preterm infant's hospital discharge, a sample of 110 French women (mean age [SD]=29.5 [4.3]years) who delivered prematurely completed questionnaires assessing PTSD symptoms (Impact of Event Scale-Revised) postpartum depressive symptomatology (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale), quality of marital relationship (Dyadic Adjustment Scale) and partner support (Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support). Sociodemographic and gynecologic data were also gathered. ResultsThirty percent of our sample reported a score on the IES-R highlighting a probable posttraumatic stress disorder. Increased postpartum depressive symptoms (β=0.47, P<0.05), having undergone a caesarian section (β=0.24, P<0.05), and prior traumatic event (β=0.20, P<0.05), were independently associated with the intensity of PTSD symptoms. Discussion and conclusionGiven the traumatic impact of preterm birth on mothers, further studies focusing on the trauma of premature delivery are warranted.

Effect of Infant Health Problem, Mother's Depression and Marital Relationship on Infant Abuse in Korea: Mediating Pathway of Marital Relationship

The purpose of this study is to test a model linking infant health problem, mother's depression and marital relationship to infant abuse. This study employed a cross-sectional survey design. Data were collected from 2009 Data of Index Studies for Korean Children and Adolescents Development. Survey data from 1,060 infants and their mothers (including infant health status and infant physical illness scale, depression scale, marital relationship scale, and child abuse scale) were used to test the model. The model was tested using path analysis techniques within structural equation modeling. The model fit indices suggested that the original hypothesized model adequately fit the data (χ(2) = .33, df = 5, p = .84, Tucker-Lewis Index = 1.04, Comparative Fit Index = 1.00, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation = .00). Infant health problem and mother's depression had a negative direct effect on marital relationship, which in turn had a direct negative effect on infant abuse. Infant health problems directly affected infant abuse and also influenced infant abuse indirectly through the marital relationship. Mother's depression had significant direct effects on infant abuse and also influenced infant abuse indirectly through the marital relationship. The findings from this study demonstrate the fundamental importance of infant health as linked to the mother's mental health, and marital relationship and increasing the quality of marital relationship may be the key to infant abuse prevention.

Symptomatologie dépressive maternelle post-adoption : une étude rétrospective

ObjectiveAs biological mothers during the postpartum period, women who adopt a child might suffer from depressive symptoms. Thus, women who enter in the adoption process experience sudden life changes with the arrival of the child which increase parental stress and the risk of developing depressive symptoms. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence rate of depression in mothers who have recently adopted a child and to examine factors associated with this symptomatology. MethodsOne hundred and twenty-two participants aged 28 to 54 years (M=41.38, ET=5.78) were approached through Internet forums and 93 French departmental associations for family who adopt a child. Participants who met the inclusion criterion (i.e. having adopted a child over the past 36 months) were invited to participate to the study and to complete questionnaires on a database platform. All women who agreed to participate completed an anamnestic questionnaire focusing on personal data, adoption procedure, and child-related information. Perceived social support from family and friends and child difficulties were also assessed using five-point scales. Then, all women completed four questionnaires assessing perceived stress during adoption (Perceived Stress Scale), depressive symptomatology (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale), perception of quality of marital relationship (Dyadic Adjustment Scale) and parenting stress (Parenting Stress Index Short Form). Given the adoption process and the six months following child arrival, all measures were completed retrospectively. ResultsSeventeen percent of the sample scored above the cutoff for probable depression, this rate is similar to that which can be observed in postpartum depression. Depressive symptoms were significantly associated with a high rate of stress during the adoption process and after the arrival of the child, the difficulties of child's adaptation as well as the quality of conjugal adjustment. Multiple regression analysis showed that the intensity of perceived stress during the adoption process, scores on two subscales of the Parental Stress Index “difficulty of the child” and “parental distress” and difficulties of child's adaptation rated by the mother were significant predictors of the intensity of depressive symptoms post-adoption. ConclusionDespite the limits of a retrospective study, these results suggest the importance of implementing specific preventive interventions considering both the adoption process and the post-adoption period to prevent depressive symptoms from developing.

Cultural dynamics and marital relationship quality in Mexican-origin families.

Prior research suggests that acculturation may influence relationship outcomes among Mexican-origin married couples, including marital adjustment and distress. Despite much theory and research on parent-child cultural differences and disruptions in the parent-child relationship, no previous research has investigated possible associations between husband-wife cultural differences and marital relationship quality. With a sample of Mexican-origin married couples (N = 398), the current study investigated the relations between husband-wife differences in acculturation (American orientation) and enculturation (Mexican orientation) with husband and wife reports of positive marital qualities (warmth and relationship satisfaction). To clarify and extend previous research, the current study also investigated within-person models of cultural orientation domains as related to positive marital quality. Results provide partial evidence showing that dyadic cultural differences are associated with lower positive marital quality while cultural similarity is associated with higher positive marital quality; however, the relations are complex and suggest that the associations between wife cultural orientation and positive marital quality may depend on husband cultural orientation (and vice versa). Findings also implicate the importance of assessing spouse bidimensional cultural orientation by showing that the relation between spouse acculturation level and relationship quality may depend on his or her enculturation level. Additional nuances in the findings illustrate the importance of assessing multiple domains of cultural orientation, including language use and cultural values. We highlight several future directions for research investigating nuances in spouse cultural dynamics and relationship processes.

Marital quality and health: a meta-analytic review.

This meta-analysis reviewed 126 published empirical articles over the past 50 years describing associations between marital relationship quality and physical health in more than 72,000 individuals. Health outcomes included clinical endpoints (objective assessments of function, disease severity, and mortality; subjective health assessments) and surrogate endpoints (biological markers that substitute for clinical endpoints, such as blood pressure). Biological mediators included cardiovascular reactivity and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity. Greater marital quality was related to better health, with mean effect sizes from r = .07 to .21, including lower risk of mortality (r = .11) and lower cardiovascular reactivity during marital conflict (r = -.13), but not daily cortisol slopes or cortisol reactivity during conflict. The small effect sizes were similar in magnitude to previously found associations between health behaviors (e.g., diet) and health outcomes. Effect sizes for a small subset of clinical outcomes were susceptible to publication bias. In some studies, effect sizes remained significant after accounting for confounds such as age and socioeconomic status. Studies with a higher proportion of women in the sample demonstrated larger effect sizes, but we found little evidence for gender differences in studies that explicitly tested gender moderation, with the exception of surrogate endpoint studies. Our conclusions are limited by small numbers of studies for specific health outcomes, unexplained heterogeneity, and designs that limit causal inferences. These findings highlight the need to explicitly test affective, health behavior, and biological mechanisms in future research, and focus on moderating factors that may alter the relationship between marital quality and health.

Within- and between-family differences in cooperative and competitive coparenting.

Coparenting, the coordination between adults in their parental roles, contributes to the functioning of multiple family subsystems. The ecological context model of coparenting posits that multiple factors, including contextual, marital, and child characteristics, influence coparenting behavior (Feinberg, 2003). To date, coparenting has primarily been considered a between-family construct, and the focus has been on examining the factors that account for differences in coparenting across families. There is very limited research exploring variations in coparenting within-families across contexts. To address this gap, the current study explores whether there is significant within- and between-family variation in coparenting. In addition, family, marital, and child correlates of both within- and between-family variation in coparenting are examined. Fifty-eight 2-parent families, drawn from a larger ongoing longitudinal study on children's emotional development, participated in this study. Parents and their children participated in a laboratory visit when children were 42-months-old that included 3 triadic family interaction tasks that were coded to assess cooperative and competitive coparenting, as well as child-centered behavior. In addition, children completed a computerized go/no-go task to assess their inhibitory control and parents completed questionnaires about their marital relationship quality. Results indicated that a substantial portion of the variance in coparenting occurred within families. In addition, the correlates of coparenting cooperation and competition differed.

The relevance of family variables in child and adolescent mental health

Modern concepts of developmental psychiatry have emphasized the relevance of the interplay between genetic and environmental factors in the etiological roots for child mental disorders for a long time [8]. However, genetic aspects have raised much more attention in the last years due to the great development in our understanding on how genes determine vulnerabilities for psychopathology and the high heritability associated with several major mental disorders. Causing some disappointment in the field, very recent findings are indicating that genetic vulnerabilities might work through more unspecific pathways than previously expected (see [2, 3]). This scenario has revitalized the interest on investigations of the role of environmental factors in child psychopathology. Among them, family variables are receiving more attention in the literature. For example, Schleider et al. [9] found that family structure was a huge moderator in the relation between parents’ psychiatric symptoms and their children mental problems in a referred sample of youths. Moreover, parenting styles such as harsh parenting modify biological mechanisms affecting the expression of genes that might play a role in some child mental disorders [10]. In this issue of the European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, three different papers tackled the relevance of family variables in psychopathology from different perspectives. Hayatbakhsh et al. [5] present findings from a population-based birth cohort study in Australia showing that family structure and the quality of marital relationship measured at the 14-year follow-up predicted offspring’s psychopathology at 21 years. Children living with a stepfather, single mothers, or in families where high marital conflict was detected reported higher symptoms of psychopathology at 21 years. The association survived adjustments for a robust set of potential confounders. Some previous findings have suggested that not only family structure but also dysfunctional parental styles might impact on child and adolescent psychopathology. This effect has been extensively studied for internalizing disorders and more specifically for depression in adolescents [7]. However, the impact of different psychiatric diagnosis in each of the parents in their parental style is an area of much less investigations. The new DSM-5 criteria for ADHD remove the impossibility to make the diagnosis of ADHD in the presence of Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) (see [1] for a critical discussion of this modification). Van Steijn et al. [11] recruited a sample of 96 families with one child with a clinical ASD ? ADHD diagnosis, and one unaffected sibling. They present findings in this issue suggesting that the presence of symptoms from each of these two diagnoses in different parents affects parental styles with unaffected children. Fathers with high ADHD symptoms and mothers with high ASD symptoms reported to use a more permissive parenting style only towards their unaffected child. Well-designed systematic reviews and meta-analyses have documented the favorable impact of parenting programmes for child behavior problems (see [4]). Despite the quality of this evidence, it is important to bear in mind that several of these interventions are based on extremely structured protocols delivered by highly trained professionals in very controlled environments. Few studies address the barriers for these interventions in real world clinical settings from the perspective of parents. In this issue, Koerting et al. [6] present a systematic review L. A. Rohde (&) Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil e-mail: lrohde@terra.com.br

Postnatal depression in Mexican American fathers: Demographic, cultural, and familial predictors

BackgroundAlthough maternal postpartum depression (PPD) is a well-documented phenomenon that has been the focus of a large body of literature, much less is known about the prevalence and predictors of depressive symptoms among fathers following the birth of a child. Particularly scarce is research with Mexican American men, an understudied population at high risk given limited socioeconomic resources and elevated rates of maternal PPD. MethodsThe current study used descriptive and path analyses to examine the prevalence and predictors of PPD in 92 Mexican American fathers (M age=31.3 years). ResultsAt both 15 and 21 postpartum week assessments, 9% of fathers met criteria for PPD. Path analyses suggested that unemployment status, fewer biological children, poor marital relationship quality, and lower orientation to Anglo culture predicted higher 15 week paternal PPD symptoms, which was associated with greater paternal depressive symptoms at 21 weeks. Predictive paths from symptoms of maternal to paternal PPD were not significant. LimitationsLack of generalizability to other ethnic groups, sampling of primarily resident fathers, and the absence of historical assessments of depression are limitations of the current study. ConclusionsFindings support the importance of PPD screenings among Mexican American fathers and suggest certain demographic, familial, and cultural factors may render men particularly vulnerable for maladjustment during the early infancy period.

The mediating effect of the fulfillment of basic psychological needs in the relationship between emotional reliance and quality of marital relationship

The mediating effect of the fulfillment of basic psychological needs in the relationship between emotional reliance and quality of marital relationship

Family structure, marital discord and offspring’s psychopathology in early adulthood: a prospective study

With marital breakdown and discord relatively common, we examined whether family structure and the quality of marital relationship have a long-term impact on offspring's psychopathology in early adulthood. This study aimed to examine the association of family structure and marital discord in the family with a wide range of offspring's mental health and problem behaviours at 21years. Data were from the Mater-University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy, a population based birth cohort study, which commenced in Brisbane, Australia in 1981. Mothers and children were followed up at birth, 6months and 5, 14 and 21years after the initial interview. Marital status and marital quality were assessed at the 14year follow-up. Young Adult Self-Report sub-scales of mental health and problem behaviours were measured at the 21-year follow-up. Type of family structure and the quality of marital relationship (at the 14-year follow-up) predicted offspring's psychopathology at 21years. When a selected group of confounding factors were included in the multivariate analyses, children who lived with a step-father, un-partnered mother, or in families where parents had conflict in marital relationship reported higher symptoms of psychopathology at 21years. The association between marital problems and young adult psychopathology does not appear to be confounded by a wide range of confounding variables. Further research is needed to explore the mechanism of these associations to develop preventive programmes.

Estresse de homens e mulheres que buscam tratamento para infertilidade

To evaluate the level of stress in men and women seeking treatment for infertility and to identify the associated variables.A cross-sectional study with 101 men and 101 women consulting for the first time at the Human Reproduction Unit. Participants completed the Brazilian version of the Fertility Problem Inventory (FPI) based on four domains: "social relationships", "life without children"; "marital relationship/sexual" and "maternity/paternity" and a structured questionnaire with socioeconomic and reproductive variables. Bivariate analysis was performed using the Chi-square and Fisher exact tests, considering p<0.05. Afterwards the multivariate correspondence analysis was done with variables with p<0.20.Overall, the participants presented a high level of stress in all domains, except in the "life without children" domain. Multivariate analysis of correspondence showed that variables associated with a high level of stress in the "social relationships" domains were: to be a woman, to have the infertility problem, and to consider the quality of the marital relationship to be regular. In the "life without children" domain the variables that approached the high stress were: to be woman, age between 18 and 24 years, and to have the infertility problem. To be a man, to consider adoption, parents/in-laws and other people knowing about the difficulty to become pregnant, and to consider the quality of the marital relationship to be excellent were the variables associated with high level of stress in "marital/sexual relationship" domain. For "maternity/paternity" domain the variables associated were to be women, consider marital relationship quality regular, age between 25 and 35 years, be evangelical or protestant were the variables associated with a high level of stress.Men and women seeking treatment for infertility present a high level of stress and it can be suggested that psychosocial support is important and should be different for men and women.

Women’s well-being and reproductive health in Indian mining community: need for empowerment

This paper is a qualitative study of women’s well-being and reproductive health status among married women in mining communities in India. An exploratory qualitative research design was conducted using purposive sampling among 40 selected married women in a rural Indian mining community. Ethical permission was obtained from Goa University. A semi-structured indepth interview guide was used to gather women’s experiences and perceptions regarding well-being and reproductive health in 2010. These interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, verified, coded and then analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Early marriage, increased fertility, less birth intervals, son preference and lack of decision-making regarding reproductive health choices were found to affect women’s reproductive health. Domestic violence, gender preference, husbands drinking behaviors, and low spousal communication were common experiences considered by women as factors leading to poor quality of marital relationship. Four main themes in confronting women’s well-being are poor literacy and mobility, low employment and income generating opportunities, poor reproductive health choices and preferences and poor quality of martial relationships and communication. These determinants of physical, psychological and cultural well-being should be an essential part of nursing assessment in the primary care settings for informed actions. Nursing interventions should be directed towards participatory approach, informed decision making and empowering women towards better health and well-being in the mining community.