Peterson B D, Newton C R, Rosen K H, Skaggs G E
Department of Psychology, Chapman University, Orange, CA 92866, USA.
Hum Reprod. 2006 Sep;21(9):2443-9. doi: 10.1093/humrep/del145. Epub 2006 May 4.
Men and women use a variety of coping strategies to manage stress associated with infertility. Although previous research has helped us understand these coping processes, questions remain about gender differences in coping and the nature of the relationship between coping and specific types of infertility stress.
This study examined the coping behaviours of 1026 (520 women, 506 men) consecutively referred patients at a University-affiliated teaching hospital. Participants completed the Ways of Coping Questionnaire, Fertility Problem Inventory and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale.
Women used proportionately greater amounts of confrontative coping, accepting responsibility, seeking social support and escape/avoidance when compared with men, whereas men used proportionately greater amounts of distancing, self-controlling and planful problem-solving. For men and women, infertility stress was positively related to escape/avoidance and accepting responsibility and negatively related to seeking social support, planful problem-solving and distancing.
By analysing relative coping scores, this study identified key gender differences in how men and women cope with infertility. This was particularly true for men's coping processes that had previously remained hidden because of less frequent use of coping strategies when compared with women.
男性和女性会采用多种应对策略来处理与不孕症相关的压力。尽管先前的研究有助于我们理解这些应对过程，但关于应对方式上的性别差异以及应对方式与特定类型不孕症压力之间关系的本质，仍存在疑问。
本研究调查了一家大学附属医院连续收治的1026名患者（520名女性，506名男性）的应对行为。参与者完成了应对方式问卷、生育问题量表和二元调适量表。
与男性相比，女性在应对中使用对抗性应对、承担责任、寻求社会支持和逃避/回避的比例更高，而男性使用疏离、自我控制和有计划地解决问题的比例更高。对于男性和女性而言，不孕症压力与逃避/回避及承担责任呈正相关，与寻求社会支持、有计划地解决问题及疏离呈负相关。
通过分析相对应对得分，本研究确定了男性和女性应对不孕症方式上的关键性别差异。对于男性的应对过程而言尤其如此，由于与女性相比男性较少使用应对策略，其应对过程此前一直未被发现。
