In It Together: A Dyadic Approach to Assessing the Health-Related Quality of Life and Depression Among Infertile Couples

Introduction: The study aimed to assess the perceived quality of life (QOL) and to estimate the prevalence of depression among infertile couples as well as to study the congruence of the outcome among both partners. The sociodemographic factors influencing these outcomes were also examined. Method: A prospective, cross-sectional study of 130 infertile couples over 1 year at a tertiary level teaching hospital. Couples were requested to complete the WHOQOL-BREF instrument and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Data was analyzed using paired t test, 1-way multivariate linear variance analysis, and regression, and correlation models. Results: Mean QOL scores between men and women showed a strong agreement within psychological, social, environmental, and physical domains (r = .70, .67, .69, and .59 likewise). The presence of depressive symptoms was associated with significantly impaired QOL scores through all domains. Depression was present in 30.6% of female partners and 27.2% in male partners. Pearson correlation between female partner BDI scores and male partner scores was highly statistically significant with a correlation coefficient of .745. The presence of depression was not found to be significandy associated with sociodemographic and clinical parameters. Conclusions: QOL and depression scores of 1 partner were reflected in the scores of the other partner. Henceforth, screening and psychoeducation should be couple based considering the couple as 1 unit which is likely to improve the mental wellbeing of the couple. The presence of depression is not influenced by the sociodemographic profile of couples therefore all infertile couples should be screened and offered counseling. Public Significance Statement This study highlights the alarming prevalence of depression among infertile couples which is not influenced by their sociodemographic parameters in a significant way. The impaired Quality of Life score of 1 partner was reflected strongly in the scores of the other partner. These findings suggest the need for routine couple-based screening of infertile couples for psychological morbidity irrespective of their sociodemographic status. Keywords: infertile couples, depression, quality of life, WHOQOL-BREF, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)
Parenthood is one of the most primary and universal desires among all cultures and societies (Riskind & Patterson, 2010) and is considered a vital milestone in adult life. Continuation of [...]