Marital Maladjustment in Infertile Couples Who Referred to Ghadir Mother and Child Hospital, Shiraz

Abstract

Background: Twenty percent of married couples at reproductive age suffer from infertility. This common problem might cause significant problems in couples’ mental health and quality of life. Objectives: Accordingly, the goal of the present study is to evaluate the frequency of marital maladjustment in these patients in Shiraz, Iran. Patients and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 100 infertile couples (with a mean age of 33.39 ± 6) randomly selected from those referred to Ghadir Mother and Child hospital, from March 2011 to March 2012. All of them completed the dyadic adjustment scale (DAS) and a demographic questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS software, using frequency, percent, and t-tests. Results: All the patients declared that they had maladjustment in their marital relationship. Although the cut-off point of the questionnaire is 100, the mean score was 51.32. This maladjustment revealed no gender differences, but in the dyadic consensus score, patients who lived in urban areas and were employed had a significantly higher mean than those who resided in rural areas and were unemployed. In addition, highly educated couples had a higher level of marital adjustment. Conclusions: Marital adjustment is one of the most important factors impacted by the infertility of one or both partners. Marital adjustment impairment is affected by the social, economic, and demographic characteristics of couples. Strategies that target lifestyle modifications may improve the marital life of infertile couples and save their marriages from corruption.

Keywords

• infertility
• marital maladjustment
• demographic factors