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Couples with Infertility: The Influence of Quality of Life, Relationship Satisfaction, Resilience, Depression, and Shame

The purpose of this study was to investigate the directional relationship between fertility related quality of life, relationship satisfaction, resilience, depression, and shame amongst individuals and couples with infertility. This study tested the hypothesized directional relationship that individuals and couples with infertility (N = 556) with a greater level of fertility related quality of life (FertiQol) would have (a) increased relationship satisfaction (CSI), (b) increased resilience (CD-RISC), (c) decreased depression (PROMIS), and (d) decreased shame (FSCRS), through structural equation modeling (SEM) and the actor partner interdependence model (APIM). Also, the researcher tested the dyadic influence of fertility related quality of life in couples (n = 52) on the constructs. The researcher then investigated the relationship between the constructs and the demographic, relational, and infertility related variables. Lastly, the researcher assessed group differences between Caucasian and Racially Diverse participants to determine the influence of race on fertility related quality of life, relationship satisfaction, resilience, depression, and shame. SEM analyses identified that the level of fertility related quality of life influenced resilience (18.23% variance explained), depression (63.04% variance explained), and shame (22.27% variance explained). Further, the Relational aspect of fertility related quality of life influenced relationship satisfaction (59.75% variance explained), and gender significantly influenced resilience with a medium effect (beta = .309). Results of the APIM analysis identified two partner effects from the Relational aspect of fertility related quality of life to relationship satisfaction and shame. Lastly, the results identified significant differences in relationship satisfaction, shame, and value of spirituality between Caucasian and Racially Diverse participants. Study implications include: (a) greater knowledge for individual counseling, couples counseling, and integrated care counselors, (b) greater understanding of interventions to promote positive relationship satisfaction in couples, and (c) greater understanding of how to enhance counselor training when working with couples with infertility.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:ucf.edu/oai:stars.library.ucf.edu:etd2020-1582
Date01 January 2021
CreatorsWilson, Nikole
PublisherSTARS
Source SetsUniversity of Central Florida
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
Typetext
Formatapplication/pdf
SourceElectronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-

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