Sex role and emotional functioning in infertile couples: Some further evidence

Abstract

Studies examining sex-role and psychological reactions to infertility have produced inconsistent findings. It is argued that this is due in part to individuals with different diagnoses having been grouped together rather than analysed as separate sub-sets. Findings are presented from a study investigating sex-role and emotional function in a sample of 128 males and 127 females with undiagnosed primary infertility. The data were collected on the couples' initial visit to a specialist clinic. Masculine men, compared with the other three sex-role types, had the lowest GHQ and state and trait anxiety scores while undifferentiated men obtained the highest trait anxiety scores and the lowest marital adjustment scores. Little difference was observed between sex-role types in women. The results are discussed in relation to previously reported studies.