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BioPsychoSocial Medicine
Published in: BioPsychoSocial Medicine 1/2017

Open Access 01-12-2017 | Research

Psychological health and religious coping of Ghanaian women with infertility

Authors: Mabel Oti-Boadi, Kwaku Oppong Asante

Published in: BioPsychoSocial Medicine | Issue 1/2017

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Abstract

Background

Infertility has been shown to have considerable psychological effects on the well-being of couples, especially women. Religion has been found as a resource used by infertile women to cope with their distress. Little research has examined the influence of religious coping on psychological distress among infertile women in Ghana. This study examines the relationship between positive and negative religious coping and psychological health for women with infertility problems in Ghana.

Methods

One hundred and fifty married women who were receiving assisted reproduction care in two specialized clinics were recruited for this study. Participants were administered with the Brief Symptom Inventory and Brief Religious Coping Scale to assess psychological health associated with infertility and religious coping respectively. A hierarchical regression was performed to examine the relative contribution of the domains of psychological health (i.e. somatization, anxiety and depression) in predicting negative religious coping and positive religious.

Results

The results showed that negative religious coping was significant and positively correlated with somatization, depression and anxiety. Furthermore, a positive relationship also existed between positive religious coping and somatization and anxiety but not depression. After controlling for age and duration of infertility, somatization and anxiety predicted positive religious coping whilst all the domains of psychological health (somatization, anxiety and depression) precited negative religious coping.

Conclusions

This study expanded on the existing literature by examining positive and negative religious coping with psychological distress associated with infertility for women. These results underscore the need for health professionals providing therapies for women with infertility to acknowledge and consider their religious beliefs as this influences their mental health.
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Metadata
Title
Psychological health and religious coping of Ghanaian women with infertility
Authors
Mabel Oti-Boadi
Kwaku Oppong Asante
Publication date
01-12-2017
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BioPsychoSocial Medicine / Issue 1/2017
Electronic ISSN: 1751-0759
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13030-017-0105-9

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