School of Ethnology and Sociology, Minzu University of China, Beijing, China.
Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Hum Fertil (Camb). 2023 Dec;26(2):289-301. doi: 10.1080/14647273.2022.2099314. Epub 2022 Jul 19.
The emotional consequences of infertility are well documented. However, relatively few studies have emphasized the dyadic emotional interaction within couples, despite infertility being a shared life event. This study adopted a dyadic (between two people) approach to explore the emotional complexity that infertile couples face. A descriptive qualitative study was conducted with 24 participants, including eight infertile couples and eight wives undergoing infertility treatments. Conjoint and individual interviews were conducted through purposive sampling in a large fertility centre in Tianjin, China, between June and August 2015. Thematic analysis identified two main themes: (i) 'decisional ambivalence', with subthemes of 'ambivalent attitudes towards treatment', 'uncertainty about treatment outcomes', and 'treatment-related lifestyle changes'; and (ii) 'relational ambivalence' which included subthemes of 'intergenerational ambivalence' and 'partner ambivalence'. Complex emotions of ambivalence among infertile couples were common as infertility clearly shattered their assumptive world on family formation. With complex entanglement of mixed emotions, ambivalence was intimately associated with cultural norms, social expectations, and active or over engagement of family members in Chinese societies. Since ambivalence could threaten mental and physical health during pregnancy, healthcare professionals should be prepared to assist infertile couples with identifying, articulating, and normalizing decisional and relational ambivalence during the treatment process.
不孕不育所带来的情绪后果已有大量文献记载。然而，尽管不孕不育是一个共同的生活事件，但相对较少的研究强调了夫妇之间的二元情感互动。本研究采用二元（两人之间）方法来探索不孕夫妇所面临的情感复杂性。2015 年 6 月至 8 月期间，在中国天津的一家大型生育中心，通过目的性抽样，对 24 名参与者（包括 8 对不孕夫妇和 8 名正在接受不孕治疗的妻子）进行了描述性定性研究。主题分析确定了两个主要主题：（i）“决策矛盾”，其亚主题包括“对治疗的矛盾态度”、“对治疗结果的不确定性”和“与治疗相关的生活方式改变”；（ii）“关系矛盾”，包括“代际矛盾”和“伴侣矛盾”。不孕夫妇之间普遍存在复杂的矛盾情绪，因为不孕不育症显然打破了他们对家庭形成的假设世界。由于矛盾情绪复杂地交织在一起，与文化规范、社会期望以及中国社会中家庭成员的积极或过度参与密切相关。由于矛盾情绪可能会在怀孕期间威胁到身心健康，医疗保健专业人员应该准备好帮助不孕夫妇在治疗过程中识别、表达和正常化决策和关系矛盾。
