Testing the Marital Burnout Model in Infertile Women: The Mediating Role of Repetitive Negative Thoughts through Irritability

Abstract

Background & aim: Infertility affects couples' lives, contributing to psychological challenges. This study investigated the Marital Burnout Model in infertile women, with focus on the mediating role of repetitive negative thoughts through irritability.Methods: A model testing correlational research, conducted in Ardabil during 2022, employed. Through convenience sampling, 420 women experiencing infertility were selected and completedonline questionnaires. Data were collected using the Marital Burnout Questionnaire, Irritability Questionnaire, and Repetitive Thoughts Questionnaire collected data. Structural equation modeling and LISREL/SPSS-22 analyzed the data, supporting the casual model linking irritability, negative repetitive thoughts, and marital burnout.Results: The causal model, linking irritability, negative repetitive thoughts, and marital burnout in infertile women, was supported by fitting indices. Irritability and negative repetitive thoughts directly influenced marital turmoil. Additionally, irritability indirectly impacted marital burnout through repetitive negative thoughts (p<0.05).Conclusion: Irritability and repetitive negative thoughts significantly contribute to marital burnout in infertile women. Addressing these factors in psychological therapies can effectively alleviate marital burnout.

Keywords

• marital burnout
• irritability
• repetitive thoughts
• infertility