Spirituality, infertility-related stress, and quality of life in Brazilian infertile couples: Analysis using the actor-partner interdependence mediation model.
Infertility has a stressful impact on both partners, with adverse effects on the quality of life of infertile couples. Spirituality is a meaning-based strategy that can protect couples against infertility's negative impact on quality of life, but analysis of this mediator relationship in infertile couples has not been reported. We adopted a dyadic approach and used the actor-partner interdependence mediation model to examine whether and how women's and men's spirituality was associated with their own and their partners' infertility-related stress and quality of life. In 2014, 152 infertile couples starting their first fertility treatment at a private clinic in Brazil were recruited and completed self-reports of spirituality, infertility-related stress, and quality of life. Results indicated that women's and men's level of spirituality was positively associated with their own quality of life directly and indirectly, by reducing their own infertility-related stress. Their spirituality was associated with an increase in their partners' quality of life only indirectly, by reducing their partners' infertility-related stress. Findings highlight the importance of assessing and promoting spirituality as a coping resource that infertile women and men might use to deal with the stress of infertility and reduce its adverse effects on quality of life.
['Casu|Giulia|G|0000-0001-5441-3044', 'Ulivi|Giulia|G|', 'Zaia|Victor|V|0000-0003-2930-1870', 'Fernandes Martins|Maria do Carmo|MDC|', 'Parente Barbosa|Caio|C|', 'Gremigni|Paola|P|0000-0002-1527-2434']
D000328:Adult D001938:Brazil D005191:Family Characteristics D005260:Female D006801:Humans D007247:Infertility, Female D007248:Infertility, Male D008297:Male D008960:Models, Psychological D011788:Quality of Life D029181:Spirituality D013315:Stress, Psychological
spirituality infertility-related stress quality of life actor-partner interdependence mediation model dyad