Distress and marital problems associated with infertility

Abstract

Problems of emotional adjustment and marital difficulties experienced by a large sample of patients (843 couples) attending an infertility clinic between 1975 and 1985 were investigated by means of a postal questionnaire. An emotional distress score and a marital problems score were computed for each individual and these were related to four principal variables: (1) how long the couples had known of their infertility, (2) whether the cause had been diagnosed, (3) the period of time undergoing investigations, and (4) whether the male or female was responsible. The emotional wellbeing of couples was affected by prolonged periods of clinical investigation and greater emotional and marital difficulties were reported by both men and women when the cause of the infertility lay with the man. The implications for the development of services and for further research are discussed.