Main Article Content
Short Report: Psychiatric Morbidity among Infertile Women Attending a Tertiary Healthcare Institution in Lagos
Abstract
Background
Infertile women have been observed to suffer from various forms of psychopathology due to the psychosocial pressures placed on them because of their inability to conceive. This study aimed at investigating levels of anxiety, depression and psychological distress among infertile women in Lagos state, Nigeria.
Method
The study included 107 women with primary infertility in the study group and 99 healthy fertile women in the control group. The 12th version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and were administered to both groups to determine their levels of psychological distress, anxiety and depression.
Result
The findings show that 37% of the subjects surveyed had high scores in general psychopathology and only 31% of the controls had scores above the general health questionnaire cut-off norm. Anxiety was diagnosed in 30.8% of the experimental group
when compared with the control group. Depression was observed 22.0% of the subjects as against 40.4% of the control group.
Conclusion
The findings of this study showed that infertile women in the study group showed some degrees of psychopathology. Psychosocial factors should also be taken into consideration in the evaluation of infertile women because infertility can also be a source of psychological distress, anxiety and depression.
Keywords: Psychological morbidity, anxiety, depression, infertile women
Infertile women have been observed to suffer from various forms of psychopathology due to the psychosocial pressures placed on them because of their inability to conceive. This study aimed at investigating levels of anxiety, depression and psychological distress among infertile women in Lagos state, Nigeria.
Method
The study included 107 women with primary infertility in the study group and 99 healthy fertile women in the control group. The 12th version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and were administered to both groups to determine their levels of psychological distress, anxiety and depression.
Result
The findings show that 37% of the subjects surveyed had high scores in general psychopathology and only 31% of the controls had scores above the general health questionnaire cut-off norm. Anxiety was diagnosed in 30.8% of the experimental group
when compared with the control group. Depression was observed 22.0% of the subjects as against 40.4% of the control group.
Conclusion
The findings of this study showed that infertile women in the study group showed some degrees of psychopathology. Psychosocial factors should also be taken into consideration in the evaluation of infertile women because infertility can also be a source of psychological distress, anxiety and depression.
Keywords: Psychological morbidity, anxiety, depression, infertile women
