IDENTIFYING WOMEN WITH PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS DURING THE IN VITRO FERTILIZATION PROCESS: THE PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION TEST (PET)

Jelena Opsenica Kostić, Milica Mitrović

DOI Number
https://doi.org/10.22190/FUPSPH2202087O
First page
087
Last page
100

Abstract


Especially strong or inadequate emotional reactions during in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment may affect both the success of the treatment and later mental health. This study tested the possibility of using Psychological Evaluation Test for Infertile Couples (PET) scores to identify women with psychological problems during the IVF process, so that they can be offered psychological counseling. The sample comprised 158 women, all of whom were undergoing the IVF treatment at the time of the study, and 128 women who had at least one child conceived without difficulties. All of the respondents filled in a questionnaire concerning their emotional status and coping competencies, while the PET was given only to the respondents undergoing IVF. Respondents with higher PET scores (> 30) have significantly higher Negative Affectivity and Shame in front of others, and lower Positive Affectivity and Coping competencies than the group with low PET scores (≤ 30) and women who conceived without difficulties.  Respondents with lower PET scores do not significantly differ from women who conceived without difficulties. The results obtained suggest that the PET cut-off score > 30 may be considered a reliable measure to identify women with psychological problems i.e., reaching scores of > 30 can be taken as an indicator of the need for psychological support.


Keywords

psychological evaluation, in vitro fertilization, emotions, coping, psychological support

Full Text:

PDF

References


An, Yuan, Zhuangzhuang Sun, Linan Li, Yajuan Zhang, and Hongping Ji. “Relationship between Psychological Stress and Reproductive Outcome in Women Undergoing in Vitro Fertilization Treatment: Psychological and Neurohormonal Assessment”. Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics 30, 1 (2012): 35–41. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-012-9904-x.

Batool, Syeda Shahida, and Richard Oliver de Visser. “Experiences of Infertility in British and Pakistani Women: A Cross-Cultural Qualitative Analysis”. Health Care for Women International 37, 2 (2015): 180–96. https://doi.org/10.1080/07399332.2014.980890.

Beck, Aaron T., and Alice Beamesderfer. “Assessment of Depression: The Depression Inventory”. Modern Trends in Pharmacopsychiatry 7 (1974): 151–69. https://doi.org/10.1159/000395074.

Benyamini, Yael, Miri Gozlan, and Ehud Kokia. “Women's and Men's Perceptions of Infertility and Their Associations with Psychological Adjustment: A Dyadic Approach”. British Journal of Health Psychology 14, 1 (2009): 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1348/135910708x279288.

Bolvin, Jacky, and Deborah Lancastle. “Medical Waiting Periods: Imminence, Emotions and Coping”. Women's Health 6, 1 (2010): 59–69. https://doi.org/10.2217/whe.09.79.

Boivin, Jacky, Janet Takefman, and Andrea Braverman. “The Fertility Quality of Life (Fertiqol) Tool: Development and General Psychometric Properties”. Human Reproduction 26, 8 (2011): 2084–91. https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/der171.

Bringhenti, Franco, Franca Martinelli, Rossella Ardenti, and Giovanni Battista La Sala. “Psychological Adjustment of Infertile Women Entering IVF Treatment: Differentiating Aspects and Influencing Factors”. Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica 76, 5 (1997): 431–37. https://doi.org/10.3109/00016349709047824.

Campos-Garzón, Celia, Blanca Riquelme-Gallego, Alejandro de la Torre-Luque, and Rafael A. Caparrós-González. “Psychological Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Pregnant Women: A Scoping Review”. Behavioral Sciences 11, 12 (2021): 181. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs11120181.

Cunha, Marina, Ana Galhardo, and José Pinto-Gouveia. “Experiential Avoidance, Self-compassion, Self-judgment and Coping Styles in Infertility”. Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare 10 (2016): 41–47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.srhc.2016.04.001.

Darwiche, Joëlle, Nicolas Favez, Florine Maillard, Marc Germond, Patrice Guex, Jean-Nicolas Despland, and Yves de Roten. “Couples’ Resolution of an Infertility Diagnosis before Undergoing in Vitro Fertilization”. Swiss Journal of Psychology 72, 2 (2013): 91–102. https://doi.org/10.1024/1421-0185/a000102.

Edelmann, Robert J., Kevin J. Connolly, and Helen Bartlett. “Coping Strategies and Psychological Adjustment of Couples Presenting for IVF”. Journal of Psychosomatic Research 38, 4 (1994): 355–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-3999(94)90040-x.

El Kissi, Yousri, Asma Ben Romdhane, Samir Hidar, Souhail Bannour, Khadija Ayoubi Idrissi, Hedi Khairi, and Bechir Ben Hadj Ali. “General Psychopathology, Anxiety, Depression and Self-Esteem in Couples Undergoing Infertility Treatment: A Comparative Study between Men and Women”. European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology 167, 2 (2013): 185–89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejogrb.2012.12.014.

European Policy Audit on Fertility: report. (2017). European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology, Fertility Europe and Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. Accessed on 14 November 2021 https://www.eshre.eu/Press-Room/Resources.

Franco Jr., José Gonçalves, Ricardo Luiz Baruffi, Ana Lucia Mauri, Claudia G. Petersen, Valeria Felipe, and Erika Garbellini. „Psychological Evaluation Test For Infertile Couples“. Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics 19, 6 (2002): 269–73. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1015706829102.

Frederiksen, Y., I. Farver-Vestergaard, N. G. Skovgard, H. J. Ingerslev, and R. Zachariae. “Efficacy of Psychosocial Interventions for Psychological and Pregnancy Outcomes in Infertile Women and Men: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis”. BMJ Open 5, 1 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2014-006592.

Freeman, Ellen W., Andrea S. Boxer, Karl Rickels, Richard Tureck, and Luigi Mastroianni. “Psychological Evaluation and Support in a Program of in Vitro Fertilization and Embryo Transfer”. Fertility and Sterility 43, 1 (1985): 48–53. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0015-0282(16)48316-0.

Gazit, Tali, and Yair Amichai-Hamburger. “Factors Underlying Engagement in Facebook Support Groups of Female Infertility Patients”. Psychological Reports 124, 3 (2020): 1150–73. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033294120934703.

Goss, K., P. Gilbert, and S. Allan. “An Exploration of Shame Measures—I: The Other as Shamer Scale”. Personality and Individual Differences 17, 5 (1994): 713–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/0191-8869(94)90149-X.

Gourounti, Kleanthi, Fotios Anagnostopoulos, Grigorios Potamianos, Katerina Lykeridou, Lone Schmidt, and Grigorios Vaslamatzis. “Perception of Control, Coping and Psychological Stress of Infertile Women Undergoing IVF”. Reproductive BioMedicine Online 24, 6 (2012): 670–79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rbmo.2012.03.002.

Hanna, Esmée, and Brendan Gough. “Experiencing Male Infertility”. SAGE Open 5, 4 (2015): 215824401561031. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244015610319.

Hu, Li‐tze, and Peter M. Bentler. “Cutoff Criteria for Fit Indexes in Covariance Structure Analysis: Conventional Criteria versus New Alternatives”. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal 6, 1 (1999): 1–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705519909540118.

Janković, Ivana and Jelisaveta Todorović. „Lived Experiences of Woman in Relation to Infertility – A Review of the Qualitative Research“. Facta Universitatis, series: Philosophy, Sociology, Psychology and History, 20, 2 (2021): 137 – 148. https://doi.org/10.22190/FUPSPH2102137J.

Jestrović, Jovana i Ivana Mihić. „Kakve su potrebe za psihološkom podrškom žena koje se suočavaju sa neplodnošću?“ U Društveno, porodično i lično značenje neplodnosti: implikacije za planiranje podrške parovima, uredile Ivana Mihić i Marija Zotović, 122–142. Novi Sad: Filozofski fakultet, 2019.

List of Tools to Detect the Needs of Patients. European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, ESHRE, 2015. Accessed on 14 November 2021. https://www.eshre.eu/Guidelines-and-Legal/Guidelines/Psychosocial-care-guideline.

Mahlstedt, Patricia P., Susan Macduff, and Judith Bernstein. “Emotional Factors and the in Vitro Fertilization and Embryo Transfer Process”. Journal of In Vitro Fertilization and Embryo Transfer 4, 4 (1987): 232–36. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf01533762.

Mazure, Carolyn M., and Dorothy A. Greenfeld. “Psychological Studies of in Vitro Fertilization/Embryo Transfer Participants”. Journal of In Vitro Fertilization and Embryo Transfer 6, 4 (1989): 242–56. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf01132873.

Mihic, Ljiljana, Zdenka Novovic, Petar Colovic, and Snezana Smederevac. “Serbian Adaptation of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (Panas): Its Facets and Second-Order Structure”. Psihologija 47, 4 (2014): 393–414. https://doi.org/10.2298/psi1404393m.

Mitrović, Milica, Jelena Opsenica Kostić, and Milica Ristić. “Intolerance of Uncertainty and Distress in Women with Delayed IVF Treatment Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Mediating Role of Situation Appraisal and Coping Strategies”. Journal of Health Psychology, 2021, 135910532110499. https://doi.org/10.1177/13591053211049950.

Nasseri, Mariam. “Cultural Similarities in Psychological Reactions to Infertility”. Psychological Reports 86, 2 (2000): 375–78. https://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.2000.86.2.375.

Patel, Ansha, PS. V. Sharma, and Pratap Kumar. “Role of Mental Health Practitioner in Infertility Clinics: A Review on Past, Present and Future Directions”. Journal of Human Reproductive Sciences 11, 3 (2018): 219. https://doi.org/10.4103/jhrs.jhrs_41_18.

Präg, Patrick and Mills, Melinda C. “Assisted Reproductive Technology in Europe: Usage and Regulation in the Context of Cross-Border Reproductive Care.” In Childlessness in Europe: Contexts, Causes, and Consequences. Demographic Research Monographs, edited by Michaela Kreyenfeld and Dirk Konietzka, 289-309. Springer, Cham, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-44667-7_14

R Core Team (2016). R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria. Accessed on 15 May 2021. https://www.r-project.org/

Rockliff, Helen E., Stafford L. Lightman, Emily Rhidian, Heather Buchanan, Uma Gordon, and Kavita Vedhara. “A Systematic Review of Psychosocial Factors Associated with Emotional Adjustment in in Vitro Fertilization Patients”. Human Reproduction Update 20, 4 (2014): 594–613. https://doi.org/10.1093/humupd/dmu010.

Rosseel, Yves. “lavaan: An R Package for Structural Equation Modeling”. Journal of Statistical Software 48, 2 (2012). https://doi.org/10.18637/jss.v048.i02.

Salakos, N, Z Roupa, P Sotiropoulou, and O Grigoriou. “Family Planning and Psychosocial Support for Infertile Couples”. The European Journal of Contraception & Reproductive Health Care 9, 1 (2004): 47–51. https://doi.org/10.1080/13625180410001698735.

Sax, Megan R., and Angela K. Lawson. “Emotional Support for Infertility Patients: Integrating Mental Health Professionals in the Fertility Care Team”. Women 2, 1 (2022): 68–75. https://doi.org/10.3390/women2010008.

Schmidt, L., B.E. Holstein, U. Christensen, and J. Boivin. “Communication and Coping as Predictors of Fertility Problem Stress: Cohort Study of 816 Participants Who Did Not Achieve a Delivery after 12 Months of Fertility Treatment”. Human Reproduction 20, 11 (2005): 3248–56. https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/dei193.

Schroder, Kerstin E., and Cindy L. Ollis. “The Coping Competence Questionnaire: A Measure of Resilience to Helplessness and Depression”. Motivation and Emotion 37, 2 (2012): 286–302. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-012-9311-8.

Terry, Deborah J., and Gloria J. Hynes. “Adjustment to a Low-Control Situation: Reexamining the Role of Coping Responses”. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 74, 4 (1998): 1078–92. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.74.4.1078.

Terzioğlu, Candan, and Birgül Özkan. “Psychodrama and the Emotional State of Women Dealing with Infertility”. Sexuality and Disability 36, 1 (2017): 87–99. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11195-017-9514-8.

Van den Broeck, Uschi, Marysa Emery, Tewes Wischmann, and Petra Thorn. “Counselling in Infertility: Individual, Couple and Group Interventions”. Patient Education and Counseling 81, 3 (2010): 422–28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2010.10.009.

Verhaak, C. M., J. M. J. Smeenk, A. W. M. Evers, J. A. M. Kremer, F. W. Kraaimaat, and D. D. M. Braat. “Women’s Emotional Adjustment to IVF: A Systematic Review of 25 Years of Research”. Human Reproduction Update 13, 1 (2006): 27–36. https://doi.org/10.1093/humupd/dml040.

Watson, David, Clark, Lee Anna and Tellegen, Auke. “Development and Validation of Brief Measure of Positive and Negative Affect: The PANAS scales”. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 6 (1988):1063–1070. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022–3514.54.6.1063

WHO-ICMART revised glossary of ART terminology (2009). Accessed on 17 November 2021. https://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/publications/infertility/art_terminology2.pdf

Wichman, Christina L., Shawna L. Ehlers, Scott E. Wichman, Amy L. Weaver, and Charles Coddington. “Comparison of Multiple Psychological Distress Measures between Men and Women Preparing for in Vitro Fertilization”. Fertility and Sterility 95, 2 (2011): 717–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fertnstert.2010.09.043.

Woods, Nancy Fugate, Ellen Olshansky, and Mary Ann Draye. “Infertility: Women's Experiences”. Health Care for Women International 12, 2 (1991): 179–90. https://doi.org/10.1080/07399339109515939.

Zaami, Simona, Lorenza Driul, Milena Sansone, Elisa Scatena, Karin Louise Andersson, and Enrico Marinelli. “Art Innovations: Fostering Women’s Psychophysical Health between Bioethics Precepts and Human Rights”. Healthcare 9, 11 (2021): 1486. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9111486.




DOI: https://doi.org/10.22190/FUPSPH2202087O

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


ISSN 1820-8495 (Print)

ISSN 1820-8509 (Online)