[Impact of depressive symptomatology in Hungarian infertile couples]. / A depressziós tünetegyüttes hatásai Magyar meddo pároknál.

INTRODUCTION: Involuntary childnessness is a paranormative crisis for couples who react with depressive and anxious symptoms to infertility. Depressive symptoms correlate with infertility-related distress and fertility specific quality of life. At the same time, depression effects not only the personal, but also the partner's psychological adjustment. In our study, we investigate the incidence rate of depressive symptomatology and correlations between severity of depression and infertility-related distress in Hungarian couples. METHODS: We recruited 126 couples attending the first infertility consultation who filled in Fertility Problem Inventory (FPI), shortened version of Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and answered sociodemographic questions. In statistical analyses, logistic regression analysis and multivariate analysis of variance were performed. RESULTS: Mild depressive symptoms were more frequent in the infertile sample compared to general population (OR=0.43, 95% CI: 0.20-0.92, p<0.05). In women, there were more mild (OR: 1.97, 95% CI 1.07-3.60, p<0.05) and severe depressive symptoms (OR: 2.46, 95% CI 1.21-5.00, p<0.05), than in men. In women, only severe depression made a difference in fertility specific distress; in men both mild and severe depressive symptoms correlated with more concerns (all ps<0.001). Being depressed correlated with partner's depression (all ps<0.05). If the partner had more severe depressive symptoms, it increased one's infertility-related relational concerns (all ps<0.01). Men reported more sexual concerns when female partner had mild level of depression (F(2)=3.29, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Our results provide important information for reproductive medical staff. Our findings emphasize that women and men could have depressive symptoms already at the beginning of assisted reproductive treatments and that depression effects on infertility-related distress on personal and partner levels.

[Knowledge and perception of medical students about infertility]. / Meddoséggel kapcsolatos vélekedések orvostanhallgatók körében.

INTRODUCTION: The effectiveness of fertility treatments is influenced by the health care professionals' knowledge regarding infertility as well as their empathy. AIM: The aim of the study was to examine infertility-related knowledge and perceptions of emotional and mind/body consequences of infertility among medical students. METHODS: A questionnaire design was used. Data were obtained from 112 medical university students (76 women, 36 men) who participated involuntary and compensation-free. RESULTS: Medical students' knowledge concerning infertility proved to be incomplete and ambiguous. Subjects underestimated the presence of mind/body and emotional symptoms caused by infertility in men particularly, and overestimated some emotional concerns in women, e.g. sadness. CONCLUSIONS: Medical students have gaps in their subject-specific knowledge, so that they need more (even practical) information regarding infertility during their studies. Students' conceptions about emotional and physical consequences of infertility are distorted by stereotypes. The risk of these biases is that it could make it difficult to perceive patients in a non-distorted way, especially infertile male patients.

[Characteristics of infertility-specific quality of life in Hungarian couples]. / A meddoséggel összefüggo életminoség jellemzoi magyar pároknál.

INTRODUCTION: Experiencing involuntary childlessness has a great impact on couples' quality of life. AIM: The aim of the authors was to examine the correlations among infertility-specific quality of life and depression on the level of individuals and couples. METHOD: 126 couples in five fertility centers in Hungary filled out the FertiQoL and Beck Depression Inventory and answered some sociodemographic questions. RESULTS: In gender comparison, women reported about more depressive symptoms and poorer quality of life than men. Both in men and women, the higher depression level correlated with lower level of quality of life. Moreover, the presence of more depressive symptoms in women was related to men's poorer quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: The results show that differences may exist in affective responses to infertility between women and men and that female affective problems take effects on the level of the couple relationship. These findings may be useful in psychosocial support of the couples facing infertility, especially in couple counselling or couple therapy.

Effects of gender roles, child wish motives, subjective well-being, and marital adjustment on infertility-related stress: a preliminary study with a Hungarian sample of involuntary childless men and women.

PURPOSE: The aim of the study is to investigate the infertility-related stress in a Hungarian infertile population and examine the effects of gender roles, child wish motives, subjective well-being, and marital relationship on the experience of infertility according to our self-constructed conceptual framework. METHODS: Validated self-report questionnaires measuring the factors of the conceptual framework were taken in the study carried out in a sample of 53 people attending the fertility unit of a Hungarian clinic. RESULTS: Infertility-related global stress, infertility-related social concerns, and general health problems have more intensive effect on women than on men (all p < 0.05). Women from the infertile group scored higher their femininity (p < 0.001) and lower their general health (p < 0.05) than the reference population. Infertile men believe deeper in meaning of life than women (p < 0.05) or reference population (p < 0.01). Femininity (ß = 0.460, p < 0.05), traditional gender role concepts (ß = -0.248, p < 0.05), general health (ß = -0.474, p < 0.05), and marital relationship (ß = -0.251, p < 0.05) play the strongest role to predict stress caused by infertility. CONCLUSIONS: The current study emphasizes the importance of interrelations of gender role attitudes, gender role identification, general health, and satisfaction in couple relationship with infertility-related stress. In further investigations, both social and personal aspects and their effect on experiencing infertility need to be measured in infertile people, particularly in different cultural settings.