To assess prevalence of anxiety, depression and its association with coping in females suffering from infertility

Background: Infertility is a major psychosocial problem having an impact on their emotional and marital life. Among infertile couples, females show higher levels of distress than their male partners. Aim: The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of anxiety and depression in female patients with infertility and to assess its association with various coping strategies used by them. Methods: A total of 85 females in the reproductive age group, having primary infertility, drug-naive, and willing to participate in the study were included in the study after obtaining informed consent and institutional ethics committee approval. Those with preexisting psychiatric or medical illnesses which can add to psychological distress were excluded from the study. The patients were assessed for anxiety, depression, and stress coping behavior using the Hamilton Anxiety, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression, and Stress Coping Behavior scales, respectively. Results: The prevalence of anxiety and depression was observed to be 27.1% and 55.3%, respectively. Common coping styles used included “active coping” (94.1%), “religion” (91.8%), “acceptance” (90.5%), and “planning” (88.3%) whereas “substance use” and “humor” were rarely used. Females with anxiety significantly used “self blame” and among females with depression, significant association was observed with “positive reframing” (P = 0.001) and “behavioral disengagement” (P = 0.004). Conclusions: Anxiety and depression are common and are influenced by coping strategies used by female with infertility. Structured psychological support is essential to improve their emotional well-being and coping with infertility.