Marital violence against infertile women and their coping strategies

Abstract

Objectives: This study was designed to determine factors that contribute to marital violence against infertile women and to analyze the women’s coping strategies. Methods: A total of 175 women who visited the infertility polyclinic of a university hospital in the Western Black Sea region of Turkey were included in this descriptive, correlational study. The data were collected using a personal information form, the Scale for Marital Violence Against Women (SDVW) and the Coping Scale for Infertile Women (CSIW). The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the Student t-test, one-way analysis of variance and Spearman’s correlation analysis. Results: Infertile women were exposed to emotional, verbal, economic, and sexual violence. A statistically significant relationship was found between the participants’ level of education, family type, place of residence, type of marriage, reason for infertility, age of the spouse, and SDVW score. The most frequently used coping strategies were hope, spou-sal relations, investment in personal wellness, seeking social support, acceptance, and spirituality. A statistically significant difference was found between the participants’ age and duration of infertility and their scores on the CSIW. Participants’ coping levels decreased as marital violence increased. Conclusion: Given that women diagnosed with infertility may be exposed to violence and may use a number of coping strategies, healthcare professionals should take marital violence into consideration when providing infertile couples with care. They should support women and help to increase the use of positive coping methods using proven, effective methods.