Depression, anxiety, stress, and coping among men with infertility seeking treatment at a tertiary care hospital in South India: A mixed-method study
Background: Many studies in India and all over the world have focused on the psychological aspect of infertility in women, but only a few have explored it among men. To deal with psychological distress, sometimes, individuals may use maladaptive coping strategies which can further worsen the stress...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Indian Journal of Psychiatry |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/indianjpsychiatry.indianjpsychiatry_504_24 |
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| author | Mamta Mor Venkatachalam Jayaseelan Shivanand Kattimani Chitra Thyagaraju NS Kubera Mahadevan Duraiswamy |
| author_facet | Mamta Mor Venkatachalam Jayaseelan Shivanand Kattimani Chitra Thyagaraju NS Kubera Mahadevan Duraiswamy |
| author_sort | Mamta Mor |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background:
Many studies in India and all over the world have focused on the psychological aspect of infertility in women, but only a few have explored it among men. To deal with psychological distress, sometimes, individuals may use maladaptive coping strategies which can further worsen the stress instead of reducing it.
Aim:
To assess symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, and various coping strategies adopted by men with infertility along with exploring their coping experiences.
Methods:
A sequential explanatory mixed-method study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital in South India.
The study was conducted among 200 men with infertility seeking treatment from a tertiary care hospital. The symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress were assessed using Depression, Anxiety, Stress-21 scale, and coping strategies were assessed using Brief COPE scale. In-depth interviews were conducted among eight men who had moderate to severe symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress.
Results:
The proportion of depressive symptoms was 46% (95% CI: 39.2–52.9), that of anxiety was 51% (95% CI: 44.1–57.8), and that of stress was 59.5% (95% CI: 52.5–66.0). The most common coping strategies used were planning (96.0%), active coping (91.5%), self-distraction (90.5%), and religion (89.5%). The analysis of qualitative data revealed three themes – emotional impact of infertility, coping mechanisms and support systems, and perception toward counseling to improve mental wellbeing.
Conclusion:
The study shows that the prevalence of symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress is considerable among men with infertility. The majority of them were using problem-focused coping. Overall, the study highlights the need to diagnose and address mental health problems among men with infertility. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8bb3dd8cf4e24f63a41d8d1bc887ef0a |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0019-5545 1998-3794 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Indian Journal of Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj-art-8bb3dd8cf4e24f63a41d8d1bc887ef0a2025-01-07T06:32:29ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsIndian Journal of Psychiatry0019-55451998-37942024-12-0166121131113810.4103/indianjpsychiatry.indianjpsychiatry_504_24Depression, anxiety, stress, and coping among men with infertility seeking treatment at a tertiary care hospital in South India: A mixed-method studyMamta MorVenkatachalam JayaseelanShivanand KattimaniChitra ThyagarajuNS KuberaMahadevan DuraiswamyBackground: Many studies in India and all over the world have focused on the psychological aspect of infertility in women, but only a few have explored it among men. To deal with psychological distress, sometimes, individuals may use maladaptive coping strategies which can further worsen the stress instead of reducing it. Aim: To assess symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, and various coping strategies adopted by men with infertility along with exploring their coping experiences. Methods: A sequential explanatory mixed-method study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital in South India. The study was conducted among 200 men with infertility seeking treatment from a tertiary care hospital. The symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress were assessed using Depression, Anxiety, Stress-21 scale, and coping strategies were assessed using Brief COPE scale. In-depth interviews were conducted among eight men who had moderate to severe symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. Results: The proportion of depressive symptoms was 46% (95% CI: 39.2–52.9), that of anxiety was 51% (95% CI: 44.1–57.8), and that of stress was 59.5% (95% CI: 52.5–66.0). The most common coping strategies used were planning (96.0%), active coping (91.5%), self-distraction (90.5%), and religion (89.5%). The analysis of qualitative data revealed three themes – emotional impact of infertility, coping mechanisms and support systems, and perception toward counseling to improve mental wellbeing. Conclusion: The study shows that the prevalence of symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress is considerable among men with infertility. The majority of them were using problem-focused coping. Overall, the study highlights the need to diagnose and address mental health problems among men with infertility.https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/indianjpsychiatry.indianjpsychiatry_504_24anxietycopingdepressioninfertilitymale infertilityqualitative research |
| spellingShingle | Mamta Mor Venkatachalam Jayaseelan Shivanand Kattimani Chitra Thyagaraju NS Kubera Mahadevan Duraiswamy Depression, anxiety, stress, and coping among men with infertility seeking treatment at a tertiary care hospital in South India: A mixed-method study Indian Journal of Psychiatry anxiety coping depression infertility male infertility qualitative research |
| title | Depression, anxiety, stress, and coping among men with infertility seeking treatment at a tertiary care hospital in South India: A mixed-method study |
| title_full | Depression, anxiety, stress, and coping among men with infertility seeking treatment at a tertiary care hospital in South India: A mixed-method study |
| title_fullStr | Depression, anxiety, stress, and coping among men with infertility seeking treatment at a tertiary care hospital in South India: A mixed-method study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Depression, anxiety, stress, and coping among men with infertility seeking treatment at a tertiary care hospital in South India: A mixed-method study |
| title_short | Depression, anxiety, stress, and coping among men with infertility seeking treatment at a tertiary care hospital in South India: A mixed-method study |
| title_sort | depression anxiety stress and coping among men with infertility seeking treatment at a tertiary care hospital in south india a mixed method study |
| topic | anxiety coping depression infertility male infertility qualitative research |
| url | https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/indianjpsychiatry.indianjpsychiatry_504_24 |
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