The prevalence of anxiety and depression among people with infertility referring to Royan Institute in Tehran, Iran: A cross-sectional questionnaire study

Infertility is a global public health issue and is a low control stressor often leading to increased level of anxiety and depression. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of anxiety and depression and their related factors among Iranian infertile patients. This cross-sectional study included 1128 infertile patients (479 men and 649 women) in a referral fertility center in Tehran, Iran from January 2014 to March 2015. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were administrated to all participants. The prevalence rates of anxiety and depression were 49.6% and 33.0%, respectively. Based on adjusted analysis, females were 2.26 times more likely to have anxiety symptoms than males (OR = 2.26, 95% CI: 1.75–2.90), while depression rate was not related to sex (OR = 1.09, 95% CI: 0.84–1.42). Patients with ≥ 5 years infertility duration were 1.51-fold and 1.30-fold more likely than others to have anxiety and depressive symptoms, respectively. We found that the anxiety and depression rates were very high among infertile patients. Thus, there may be a need for infertile patients to receive ongoing psychological interventions and support that matches their background during ART in order to reduce level of anxiety and depression.