Thesis Title: Fertility Related Concerns and Marital Adjustment in Women with Reproductive Health Problems
Author Name: Rida Malik
Supervisor: Faiz Younas
Year: 2017
Degree: BS
Department: Institute of Applied Psychology
University: Punjab University, Lahore, Pakistan
Corresponding Address: Department of Applied Psychology, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan. Email: chairperson@appsy.pu.edu.pk, Phone: 92-42-9231245
Abstract
The present study was intended to investigate fertility related concerns and marital adjustment in women with reproductive health problems. It was hypothesized that fertility related concerns (social concern, sexual concern, relationship concern, need for parenthood, rejection of childfree lifestyle) were likely to have a significant negative relationship with marital adjustment. Furthermore, it was also hypothesized that fertility related concerns were likely to predict marital adjustment. Correlational research design was used to investigate the assumed relationships. A sample comprising of 80 women (M = 29.4, SD= 3.75) was selected through purposive sampling. Fertility Problem Inventory (FPI;Glavac, Newton, & Sherrad, 1999) and Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS; Spanier, 1979) were used to assess fertility-related concerns and marital adjustment respectively, while Pearson Product Moment Correlation and Hierarchical Multiple Regression were used to analyze the data. Results revealed that social concern, sexual concern, relationship concern, need for parenthood, rejection of childfree lifestyle were negatively correlated with marital adjustment while social concern, relationship concern, need for parenthood and rejection of childfree lifestyle proved to be the predictors of marital adjustment. The present study has implications in family and marital therapy and will also help in providing counseling to couples facing this issue of infertility.
Keywords:
Fertility, marital adjustment, reproductive health problems.
