Subjective well-being of women at the beginning of fertility treatment: the role of medical variables, attachment orientation and supportive relationship with the mother.

Objective: To examine the unique and combined contribution of medical aspects and personal and external resources to three major indicators of Subjective Well-Being (SWB): life satisfaction, positive affect and negative affect. Background: Infertility is a stressful condition that requires women to cope with both medical and psychological challenges. Lack of personal and interpersonal resources that may facilitate adjustment to infertility places women in a vulnerable position. Methods: 177 Israeli women on their initial visits to a fertility clinic, completed self-report questionnaires. Medical information was provided by the fertility specialist. Results: Better physical health was associated with greater life satisfaction, more positive emotions and less negative emotions; women with a diagnosis of secondary infertility who did not have previous children were characterised by lower life satisfaction; higher anxious attachment orientation was associated with less life satisfaction and more negative emotions; and a more supportive interaction with the mother was associated with a higher level of positive emotions. Conclusions: The study highlights the need to design interventions for women, that are directed towards the enhancement of both life satisfaction and positive emotions, and indicates that one way to achieve this goal is by promoting a supportive relationship with the mother.

Are mothers a source of support for women entering fertility treatment?

The significance of the mother-daughter dyad in coping with stressful circumstances led us to examine (a) the associations between the mental health of women entering fertility treatment (n = 137; 76 aged 20-34; 61 aged 35-44) and the perceived type of support they receive from their mothers; (b) whether mental health is associated with age, and whether this association is moderated by the type of mother's support. We found that women perceiving more active engagement from their mothers reported greater well-being and less distress, whereas higher mothers' overprotection was associated with greater distress. Active engagement and protective buffering moderated the association between age and mental health.