TY - JOUR
T1 - Associations of Symptoms of Depression, Social Support, and Quality of Life Among Korean Women Who Experience Infertility
AU - Shin, Hyewon
AU - Lee, Jungmin
AU - Kim, Shin Jeong
AU - Jo, Minjeong
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors report no conflicts of interest or relevant financial relationships. None.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 AWHONN, the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses
PY - 2021/11
Y1 - 2021/11
N2 - Objective: To describe the quality of life (QOL) of Korean women experiencing infertility based on sociodemographic and infertility characteristics and to examine the associations among symptoms of depression, social support, and QOL. Design: Cross-sectional, descriptive study. Setting: Participants were recruited from July to August 2019 on one of the largest South Korean websites where individuals share pregnancy and parenthood experiences. Participants: Adult women (N = 186) who received infertility treatment. Methods: Participants completed an online survey using the Korean version of the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 to measure symptoms of depression, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the Fertility Quality of Life (FertiQOL) scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation, analysis of variance, and multiple regression. Results: There was a significant negative relationship between scores on the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 and FertiQOL (r = −.56) and a significant positive relationship between scores on the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support and FertiQOL (r = .40). The length of time from diagnosis of infertility to data collection, past and current treatments, cost burden, and degree of inhibition of daily life due to infertility also significantly affected participants’ FertiQOL scores. Symptoms of depression, the burden of treatment, and inhibition of daily life activities explained 46% of the variance in QOL. Conclusion: Women experiencing infertility and symptoms of depression had lower FertiQOL scores. Health care providers, who are most familiar with and attentive to patients, could provide a first line of defense against poor QOL in this population. By continuously assessing the levels of psychosocial stress in women with infertility, nurses could provide timely resources and design interventions to improve women's QOL.
AB - Objective: To describe the quality of life (QOL) of Korean women experiencing infertility based on sociodemographic and infertility characteristics and to examine the associations among symptoms of depression, social support, and QOL. Design: Cross-sectional, descriptive study. Setting: Participants were recruited from July to August 2019 on one of the largest South Korean websites where individuals share pregnancy and parenthood experiences. Participants: Adult women (N = 186) who received infertility treatment. Methods: Participants completed an online survey using the Korean version of the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 to measure symptoms of depression, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the Fertility Quality of Life (FertiQOL) scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation, analysis of variance, and multiple regression. Results: There was a significant negative relationship between scores on the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 and FertiQOL (r = −.56) and a significant positive relationship between scores on the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support and FertiQOL (r = .40). The length of time from diagnosis of infertility to data collection, past and current treatments, cost burden, and degree of inhibition of daily life due to infertility also significantly affected participants’ FertiQOL scores. Symptoms of depression, the burden of treatment, and inhibition of daily life activities explained 46% of the variance in QOL. Conclusion: Women experiencing infertility and symptoms of depression had lower FertiQOL scores. Health care providers, who are most familiar with and attentive to patients, could provide a first line of defense against poor QOL in this population. By continuously assessing the levels of psychosocial stress in women with infertility, nurses could provide timely resources and design interventions to improve women's QOL.
KW - infertility
KW - quality of life
KW - social support
KW - symptoms of depression
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85115637375&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jogn.2021.06.007
DO - 10.1016/j.jogn.2021.06.007
M3 - Article
C2 - 34310903
AN - SCOPUS:85115637375
SN - 0884-2175
VL - 50
SP - e1-e12
JO - JOGNN - Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing
JF - JOGNN - Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing
IS - 6
ER -