Gender Differences in Infertility-Related Stress and the Relationship between Stress and Social Support in Thai Infertile Couples
Opas Sreshthaputra MD*, Rung-aroon Sreshthaputra MSc*, Teraporn Vutyavanich MD*
Affiliation : * Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai
Objective : To study infertility-related stress among men and women and to examine its relationship with the
level of perceived social support.
Material and Method: The Fertility Problem Inventory (FPI) and the Personal Resource Questionnaire
(PRQ) were translated into Thai and used to assess the level of infertility-related stress and perceived social
support, respectively, in 238 infertile subjects.
Results : The global FPI scores for men and women were 154.2 + 18.3 and 154.7 + 22.6, respectively (p >
0.05). There was no significant difference in their perceived social support (PRQ scores = 137.8 + 14.0 and
134.0 + 16.7, respectively). A significant negative correlation (r = -0.1894; p < 0.001) existed between global
stress and social support in women, but not in men.
Conclusion : Thai infertile couples experienced a high level of stress. Unlike previous studies from Western
countries, there was no gender difference in infertility-related stress.
Keywords : Gender differences, Infertility stress, Social support
