Effectiveness of Cognitive-behavioral Therapy on Depression in Infertile Women

Abstract

Background:Infertility is an individual and social problem that affects people’s life quality and has been addressed in several scientific fields. Nevertheless, the psychosocial needs of infertile couples during the medical treatment process are discussed to a lesser degree. Objectives:This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy on depression in infertile women referring to the infertility clinic of Birjand University of Medical Sciences.

Methods:This randomized controlled trial (RCT), with two groups of control and experiment, is performed on infertile women referring to the university clinic in 2019. Beck Depression Inventory was used for data collection. The cognitive-behavioral intervention was conducted during 10 sessions. Data analysis was administered by SPSS version 19 using statistical tests like t-test and repeated measures ANOVA.

Results:The mean age of women in the experimental and control group was 28 ± 4.1 and 28.04 ± 3.64 years, respectively. There was a significant difference between experimental and control groups in the mean score of depression (P < 0.05). Also, the post hoc test showed the stable effect of cognitive-behavioral training on reducing depression in infertile women after the intervention and during the follow-up period.

Conclusions:Given the positive impact of cognitive-behavioral therapy on reducing depression in infertile women, it is suggested to consider the psychological needs of couples during medical treatment.