Determining Emotional Effects of Infertility, Its Effect on Marital and Social Relationships Among Infertile Women Attending GOPC at the Garissa County Referral Hospital

Abstract

Background: Infertility has physical, psychological, social, emotional and financial impacts. Personal reactions to infertility include guilt, confusion, denial, anger, despondence, withdrawal, unworthiness and social isolation. Women are solely blamed for infertility in African set-ups. Divorce and polygamy are liberal among Muslim communities with possible grave psychological trauma to the childless woman. This study sought to understand the emotional, relational and social effects resulting from this. Broad objective: To determine emotional effects of infertility, its effect on marital and social relationships among infertile women attending GOPC at the Garissa county referral hospital. Methodology: A mixed-method study design was employed. For the quantitative arm, the Fertility Quality of Life Questionnaire was administered to 85 infertile women attending GOPC at the Garissa county referral hospital using a consecutive sampling technique. Data collection was done from March 2022 to May 2022 and analyzed using SPSS version 26. Descriptive statistics such as means and standard deviations were used for continuous variables while for categorical variables frequencies with their percentages were tabulated. Qualitative data was collected using focus group discussions in Somali and Swahili and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were then translated to English and data analysed. Identified meanings were clustered into themes. A conclusion was drawn from the data obtained by the two methods regarding each objective of the study. Results: A total of 78 questionnaires were analyzed. Secondary infertility was predominant at 49 (63%). The mean FertiQol score was 54.3 ± 20.03. The mean scores for each domain were: Emotional - 47.6 ± 27.20, Relational - 61.6 ± 24.63, Social - 66.6 ± 21.29. In the qualitative component, emergent themes included: emotional (stress, depression, anxiety, sadness, despair, resentment, and hope), relational (fear of the husband marrying another wife, male spouse not accepting himself as the cause of infertility, fear that childlessness will affect their marriage), and social (unsupportive friends, allegations of contraceptive use by in-laws, societal pressure, being mocked for their infertility, own family members were supportive). Conclusion: Infertile women in Garissa faced negative emotions such as stress, depression, anxiety, sadness, despair, and resentment. Infertility had affected their marital relationships but their average score was above average. This could be a result of their coping strategies or shyness to disclose their marital issues. Recommendation: Psychological support should be offered to infertile women. Counselors should be stationed at infertility clinics.