Protective emotional regulation processes towards adjustment in infertile patients

Abstract

Little is known about emotional regulation processes of psychological flexibility/acceptance, self-compassion, and coping styles in infertility and the way they may exert a protective function towards depression. The aim of the current study was to explore how these emotion regulation processes are related to depression and to the sense of self-efficacy to deal with infertility in infertile patients. Gender differences were also considered. One hundred couples without known fertility problems and 100 couples with an infertility diagnosis completed the instruments: Beck Depression Inventory, Coping Styles Questionnaire, Acceptance and Action Questionnaire, Self-Compassion Scale and Infertility Self-efficacy Scale. Infertile couples presented statistically significantly higher scores on depression and lower scores in psychological flexibility/acceptance and self-compassion than the control group. This pattern was particularly identified in women who also tended to use less an emotional/detached coping style and to perceive themselves as less confident to deal with infertility than men. Multiple regression analysis showed that psychological flexibility/acceptance was a significant predictor of depressive symptoms in men and women with infertility. Emotional regulation processes, such as psychological flexibility/acceptance and self-compassion, seem to be relevant to the understanding of depressive symptoms and psychological adjustment to infertility, suggesting that these issues should be addressed in a therapeutic context with these couples.

Keywords::

• Infertility
• acceptance
• self-compassion
• self-efficacy
• coping styles
• adjustment

Acknowledgements

The authors extend their deepest thanks to all the couples who voluntarily participated in this study. The authors also wish to thank the infertility related public services and private clinics that collaborated in data collection and to the Portuguese Fertility Association for the support provided.

Declaration of interest: This research has been supported by the second author Ph.D. Grant (SFRH/BD/68392/2010), sponsored by FCT (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology).