Stigma consciousness and self-efficacy in infertile couples: correlation and gender differences

• Autor(a) principal: Justo, João M. R. M.
• Data de Publicação: 2010
• Outros Autores: Vieira, Carla F. S. Pais, Costa, Eleonora Veiga
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.14/40170

Introduction: Infertility is increasing in western societies and consequences are deeply problematic once family and individual psychological problems are detected in infertile couples (IC) and rise up during medical treatment. Recent research suggests that stigma consciousness (SC) and self-efficacy (SE) may be affected in these couples. Hypothesis: H1 - There is a significantly negative correlation between SC and SE in infertile men (IM) and in infertile women (IW). H2 – IW show higher levels of SC and lower levels of SE when compared with IM. Method: Participants - IC (n = 59) attending an infertility hospital consultation were recruited. Instruments – a Socio-demographic Questionnaire, the Portuguese versions of the Adapted Stigma Consciousness Questionnaire and of the Infertility Self-efficacy Scale. Procedure – a) authorization of the Hospital’s Ethical Committee, b) Informed Consent, c) interview with the researcher and questionnaires application, d) statistical analysis of the correlation between SC and SE and of the differences between infertile men and women on SC and SE. Results: There is a significant negative correlation between SC and SE both in IM and in IW. When compared with their partners, IW present significantly higher levels of SC and significantly lower levels of SE.