Fariba Keshavarz, Leili Mosalanejad, Fatemeh Ghavi, Saeed Abdollahifard, Anahita Khodabakhshi Koolaee,
Volume 4, Issue 2 (5-2018)
Abstract
Background: Infertility can lead to major bio-psychological disorders. Coping strategies help individuals adapt to unpredictable conditions in a systematic way. The present study aimed to determine the perceived stress of couples undergoing treatment for infertility, as well as their coping strategies and correlation between the studied variables and gender.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted on 140 infertile couples undergoing infertility treatment at the Infertility Center of Yazd, Yazd City, Iran. The relevant data were collected by Perceived Stress Scale and Billings and Moos’s Coping Responses Inventory. Then, the obtained data were analyzed by descriptive statistics (relative frequency percentage, mean and standard deviation), Pearson correlation coefficient and regression analysis in SPSS.
Results: The obtained results suggest that the mean score of perceived stress is higher in women. Moreover, women more frequently use problem-focused mechanisms, while men more frequently use emotion-focused mechanisms. In both men and women, a positive significant relationship exist between positive perceived stress and coping mechanisms; the former predicted the latter. While, the mean scores for avoidant and behavioral coping mechanisms were higher in men, the mean scores for cognitive coping mechanisms were higher in women (P<0.05). However, women achieved higher scores for both problem-focused and emotion-focused strategies.
Conclusion: there is a significant and positive correlation between perceived stress and coping mechanisms in both sexes. In addition, stress predicts the kind of coping strategies in these people. On the whole, psychiatric approach and counseling may enhance the mental health of infertile couples and increase the chance of success in this costly treatment.
Maryam Jamalnik, Mohammad Reza Falsafinejad, Anahita Khodabakhshi-Koolaee,
Volume 6, Issue 4 (11-2020)
Abstract
Background: Long-term marital satisfaction depends on various factors in couples’ lives. Shared interests, beliefs, and goals can guarantee couples’ long and satisfying relationships. However, mate selection is one of the primary requirements for establishing a marital relationship in both modern and traditional societies. Based on the narratives of couples, the present study aimed to explore the role of mate selection in marital satisfaction.
Methods: This study employed a qualitative narrative research design. The participants were couples who lived together at least for 10 years, were satisfied with their married life, and had children. They were selected through the purposive sampling method from the family entertainment centers of health houses affiliated with Qom Municipality, in 2019. The data were generated using in-depth in-person interviews. After interviewing 13 couples, theoretical saturation was obtained. The data were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed manually using the textual analytic approach.
Results: The analysis of the participants’ narratives showed that the couples believed that four main themes, including spouse personality traits, shared religious beliefs, shared socioeconomic positions, and mutual respect and understanding affected their marital satisfaction.
Conclusion: The couples who were satisfied with their marriage believed that realistic and correct mate selection played a vital role in the survival and stability of their marital life. It is very important to pay attention to the role and conditions of mate selection and its impact on the stability of marriage. Results from this study help counselors, couples’ therapists, mental health professionals, psychiatric nurses, and midwifery consultants prepare couples for premarital programs.
Shirin Shahmardi, Tagi Pourebrahim, Mohammad Bagher Hoobi,
Volume 8, Issue 4 (11-2022)
Abstract
Background: The ability to create and maintain a satisfying relationship in the marital life requires an understanding of attachment styles, the family’s emotional atmosphere, recognizing and expressing mutual emotions, and understanding and accepting the spouse’s emotions. This study aimed to examine the role of family emotional atmosphere and attachment styles in predicting the alexithymia of married people.
Methods: This predictive correlational study was conducted on a sample of married men and women with marital communication problems who were referred to counseling centers in District 2 of Tehran Municipality in 2021. The subjects included 400 married men and women who were selected by stratified proportional sampling. The data were collected by the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), the Family Emotional Climate Questionnaire, and the Adult Attachment Scale (AAS) and were analyzed using the correlation coefficient test and multiple regression analysis by SPSS software, version 22.
Results: The results showed that secure and avoidant attachment styles were negatively correlated (r=0.38) with alexithymia. Furthermore, anxious/ambivalent attachment style was positively correlated with alexithymia (r=0.38). The family emotional atmosphere was negatively correlated with alexithymia (r=0.68) (P<0.01). Moreover, 46.6% of the variances in alexithymia were explained by family emotional atmosphere and attachment styles (R2=0.466).
Conclusion: The findings revealed that alexithymia as a psychological construct could be predicted by the family’s emotional atmosphere and the attachment styles of married people. Thus, providing training on social skills and emotional expression helps married people to identify positive and negative emotions and the inability to recognize their partner’s feelings
