Psychological distress in women who have experienced intrauterine insemination.

BACKGROUND

Despite evidence that psychological distress manifests itself in underreported and atypical ways, few studies have assessed these symptoms in women who have experienced intrauterine insemination (IUI).

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of psychological distress and explore the relationships among psychological distress, various demographic characteristics, and somatic symptoms in women who had received IUI treatment in Taiwan.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study design was used in this study. The 117 participants were recruited from a teaching hospital in northern Taiwan. The brief symptom rating scale (BSRS-5) was used as the measurement instrument, and scores of more than 5 on the BSRS-5 were used to mark the boundary between milder and more severe psychological distress. Demographic characteristics and somatic symptoms of IUI that contributed most significantly to psychological distress were identified from the data.

RESULTS

Thirty-eight (32.5%) participants experienced psychological distress. Psychological distress was most common in participants (a) with husbands who were an only son, (b) who had taken medication during the previous week, (c) with an education level below college or university, and (d) who reported feeling faint.

CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The factors studied are important to understand psychological distress in women who have undergone IUI treatment.