Psychological Interventions for Infertile Couples: Does Gender Matter?

Hämmerli, K; Znoj, H; Barth, J (2011). Psychological Interventions for Infertile Couples: Does Gender Matter? Geburtshilfe und Frauenheilkunde, 71(10), pp. 838-846. Stuttgart: Thieme 10.1055/s-0031-1280254

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Purpose: Gender-specific differences exist between male and female infertility patients' mental health, the meaning of infertility in their lives, and the coping strategies used. This systematic review examines whether gender-specific aspects are addressed in psychological intervention studies for infertility and whether infertile women and men benefit equally from such interventions. Methods: Databases were searched to identify relevant articles published between 1978 and 2007 (384 articles). The review included both controlled and uncontrolled psychological intervention studies examining results for infertile women and men separately. Outcome measures (depressive symptoms, anxiety, and mental distress) and gender-specific baseline characteristics (mental distress at pre-assessment, cause of infertility, and medical treatment) were collected. A total of twelve studies were finally included. Results: In 10 of 12 studies, women exhibited higher levels of mental distress than men. Gender-specific aspects were not addressed in the psychological interventions. Examining the efficacy of psychological interventions revealed that women exhibited stronger positive mental health effects in 2 of the 12 studies. Conclusion: Psychological distress before psychological treatment seems more pronounced in women than in men. Therefore psychological interventions for infertile couples should take gender-specific aspects into account. More research is needed to address the gender-specific aspects regarding psychological interventions for infertility.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Further Contribution)

Division/Institute:

04 Faculty of Medicine > Pre-clinic Human Medicine > Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM)

UniBE Contributor:

Znoj, Hans Jörg, Barth, Jürgen

ISSN:

0016-5751

Publisher:

Thieme

Language:

English

Submitter:

Factscience Import

Date Deposited:

04 Oct 2013 14:22

Last Modified:

02 Mar 2023 23:20

Publisher DOI:

10.1055/s-0031-1280254

Web of Science ID:

000297927300002

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.7601

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/7601 (FactScience: 212898)

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