Mor Mamta, Jayaseelan Venkatachalam, Kattimani Shivanand, Thyagaraju Chitra, Kubera N S, Duraiswamy Mahadevan
Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, India.
Department of Psychiatry, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, India.
Indian J Psychiatry. 2024 Dec;66(12):1131-1138. doi: 10.4103/indianjpsychiatry.indianjpsychiatry_504_24. Epub 2024 Dec 12.
Many studies in India and all over the world have focused on the psychological aspect of infertility in women, but only a few have explored it among men. To deal with psychological distress, sometimes, individuals may use maladaptive coping strategies which can further worsen the stress instead of reducing it.
To assess symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, and various coping strategies adopted by men with infertility along with exploring their coping experiences.
A sequential explanatory mixed-method study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital in South India.The study was conducted among 200 men with infertility seeking treatment from a tertiary care hospital. The symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress were assessed using Depression, Anxiety, Stress-21 scale, and coping strategies were assessed using Brief COPE scale. In-depth interviews were conducted among eight men who had moderate to severe symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress.
The proportion of depressive symptoms was 46% (95% CI: 39.2-52.9), that of anxiety was 51% (95% CI: 44.1-57.8), and that of stress was 59.5% (95% CI: 52.5-66.0). The most common coping strategies used were planning (96.0%), active coping (91.5%), self-distraction (90.5%), and religion (89.5%). The analysis of qualitative data revealed three themes - emotional impact of infertility, coping mechanisms and support systems, and perception toward counseling to improve mental wellbeing.
The study shows that the prevalence of symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress is considerable among men with infertility. The majority of them were using problem-focused coping. Overall, the study highlights the need to diagnose and address mental health problems among men with infertility.
印度和全球的许多研究都聚焦于女性不孕症的心理层面，但仅有少数研究探讨了男性不孕症患者的心理状况。为应对心理困扰，个体有时可能会采用适应不良的应对策略，这非但无法减轻压力，反而会使其进一步加剧。
评估男性不孕症患者的抑郁、焦虑、压力症状以及他们所采用的各种应对策略，并探究其应对经历。
在印度南部的一家三级护理医院开展了一项序列解释性混合方法研究。该研究针对200名在三级护理医院寻求治疗的男性不孕症患者进行。使用抑郁、焦虑、压力21项量表评估抑郁、焦虑和压力症状，使用简易应对方式问卷评估应对策略。对8名有中度至重度抑郁、焦虑和压力症状的男性进行了深入访谈。
抑郁症状的比例为46%（95%置信区间：39.2 - 52.9），焦虑症状的比例为51%（95%置信区间：44.1 - 57.8），压力症状的比例为59.5%（95%置信区间：52.5 - 66.0）。最常用的应对策略包括计划（96.0%）、积极应对（91.5%）、自我分心（90.5%）和宗教（89.5%）。定性数据分析揭示了三个主题——不孕症的情感影响、应对机制与支持系统以及对改善心理健康咨询的看法。
该研究表明，男性不孕症患者中抑郁、焦虑和压力症状的患病率相当高。他们中的大多数人采用以问题为中心的应对方式。总体而言，该研究凸显出诊断和解决男性不孕症患者心理健康问题的必要性。
