Selected psychological and sociodemographic correlates of the acceptance of one’s own infertility in women

Abstract

Aim: Acceptance of one’s own infertility requires acknowledging the difficulties with biological conception of a child, which imposes certain limitations and changes upon the patient’s life, resulting in patient’s adaptation to the current health and social situation. The aim of the article is to analyse the variable of acceptance of one’s infertility in relation to the emotional state, life satisfaction, self-esteem, perception of social support and sociodemographic variables. Material and methods: The study group included 615 women experiencing infertility. The following tools were used: the Acceptance of one’s Own Infertility Scale, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale – Modified (HDS-M), the Scale for Assessment of Hope as an Emotional State, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, the Self-Esteem Scale, and the Scale of Perception of Social Support in Infertility. Sociodemographic variables constituted a situational context of events, and included: infertility stage (treatment for infertility, adoption procedures, decision to remain childless), time since diagnosis, infertility factor (female infertility, male infertility, infertility in both partners, undiagnosed infertility), infertility type (primary, secondary), and age. Results: Acceptance of one’s own infertility is influenced by self-esteem, hope, perception of social support (which increases the acceptance level), and depression (which reduces the acceptance level). Risk factors for low acceptance of one’s own infertility include primary infertility, current treatment for infertility, and a decision to forgo treatment and remain childless. Conclusion: The presented findings should be taken into account by persons offering professional support for such groups of patients.