A Dyadic Study of Attachment, Coping, and Quality of Life in Couples Seeking Fertility Treatment

Abstract

This study examined attachment insecurities, infertility-specific coping strategies, and quality of life (QoL) in 87 couples seeking fertility treatment. Partners completed self-report measures. Path analyses showed that women’s and men’s attachment anxiety were associated with their own lower QoL, whereas attachment avoidance was associated with their own and their partner’s lower QoL. Adaptive coping in men and women were associated with women’s higher QoL. Non-adaptive coping was associated with men and women’s lower QoL. Coping strategies explained the associations between attachment and QoL. This highlights the importance of individual and dyadic factors for understanding QoL in couples seeking fertility treatment.

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Fertility Clinics (Procrea Fertility, Fertilys, CHUS, CHU de Québec), counselors, and nurses who contributed to this research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Fonds de recherche du Québec - Société et culture under Grant (#172420); Fonds de recherche du Québec - Santé under Grant (30628).