Relationship Between Depression, Anxiety, and Quality of Life Among Women with Infertility Problem

Abstract

Cases of infertility tend to increase every year. Prevalence of infertility in the world is 16%. The prevalence of depression and anxiety disorders in infertile women is 57% and 67.2% respectively. Depression affects 350 million people worldwide. Women are twice as likely to be depressed as men. Data from 44 countries showed an anxiety prevalence of 0.9% - 28.3%. The prevalence of infertility in married couples of reproductive ages in Indonesia is 12-15%. Women with infertility more often get stigma than men. Emotional impacts emerge in marriages that result in depression and anxiety that allegedly decreases quality of life. To analyze the relation of depression and anxiety to the quality of life of women with infertility. A cross sectional study of 213 respondents at a private clinic in Kota Semarang, Indonesia. The questionnaire used consisted of socio-demographic components, HADS Scale (to determine the degree of anxiety and depression) and FertiQol (to assess the quality of life of an individual with infertility) in Indonesian version.From 213 respondents, the average age was 31.8 years (min-max 21-47 years). mean duration of infertility is 4.9 years (min- max 1-17 years). Significant relations were found in total HADS with total FertiQoL (p = 0.001, cc = -428). HADS-D with total FertiQoL (p = 0.001, cc = -326). HADS-A with total FertiQoL (p = 0.001, cc = -434). There was a significant relation between total HADS, HADS-D and HADS-A with emotional, mind / body, relational, social, environment, tolerability, total scaled core, total scaled treatment domain of FertiQoL. The higher the depression and/or the anxiety, the more it will decrease the quality of life of women with infertility. Keywords: depression, anxiety, quality of life, infertile women.