The relationship between stigma, perceived social support and depression in infertile Turkish women undergoing in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the relationship between the perceived social support, stigmatization and depression in infertile women and the influencing factors. The study was conducted on 298 infertile women at a private hospital between March and September 2019 using a Personal Information Questionnaire, Infertility Stigma Scale (ISS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). BDI had a significantly positive correlation with ISS and negative correlation with MSPSS. And MSPSS had a significantly negative correlation with ISS. Infertility leads women to suffer various psychosocial problems. Nurses should be aware of these problems during diagnostic procedures for infertility treatment, which should also include psychiatric counseling.