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BACKGROUND: In many cultures, infertility is an extremely upsetting problem that can affect a couple's social and marital lives. The stress, anxiety, and depression caused by infertility exacerbate this issue. Nonetheless, there is scant evidence on the magnitude and associated factors of stress, anxiety, and depression among infertile women in this study area. OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence and risk factors for depression, anxiety, and stress among infertile women at the University of Gondar Comprehensive and Specialized Referral Hospitals, Amhara region, northwest Ethiopia, 2024. METHODS: An institution-based cross-sectional study was carried out from January 5/ 2024 to May 5/2024 on 375 infertile women in northwest Ethiopia, with a response rate of 100%. The study participants were selected using a systematic random sampling technique. The data was collected by using structured interview-administered questionnaires, entered into EPI data version 4.6, and subsequently exported to STATA version 14 for analysis. Binary logistic regression, chi-square tests, and odds ratios were calculated to verify the assumptions and degree of association between the outcome and predictor variables. Finally, variables with a p-value ≤ 0.05 at the 95% confidence interval were considered significant predictors. RESULTS: The findings of the current study indicated that 62.93% (95% CI: 57.90, 67.69), 58.13% (95% CI: 53.05, 63.05), and 52% (95% CI: 46.92, 57.04) of the participants developed depression, anxiety, and stress respectively. Age, educational status, occupation, abortion history, duration of infertility, and income were statistically significant predictors of depression, anxiety, and stress. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATION: The findings of the current study revealed that more than half of the participants developed stress, anxiety, and depression. Counseling, social awareness campaigns and media involvement to control the added burden of infertility on women's psychological health and quality of life should be performed.
Esubalew et al. (Tue,) studied this question.