Development of an infertility perception scale for women (IPS-W).

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to develop an Infertility Perception Scale for Women (IPS-W). METHODS: Initial items were based on an extensive literature review and in-depth interviews with five infertile women and fifteen women not diagnosed with infertility. Forty-one items were derived from a pilot survey. Data were collected from 203 women who had experienced intrauterine insemination (IUI) and in-vitro fertilization (IVF) more than once. The data were analyzed to verify the reliability and validity of the scale. RESULTS: Four factors containing 21 items were extracted from the exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to verify the construct validity. The four factors of infertility perception scale were perceived feelings, personal stigma, social stigma, and acceptance. These factors explained 59.3% of the total variance. The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) confirmed a four-factor structure of the 21-item IPS-W. All fit indices were satisfactory (χ2/df ≤ 3, RMSEA < 0.08). These items were verified through convergent, discriminant, known group validity, concurrent validity testing. The internal consistency reliability was acceptable (Cronbach's α = 0.90). CONCLUSION: The scale reflects the perception of infertility within the cultural context of Korea. The findings can help nurses provide support that is appropriate for individual circumstances by examining how women experiencing infertility perceive infertility.

[Factors Influencing the Intention for Continual Fertility Treatments by the Women Undergoing Assisted Reproductive Technology Procedures: A Cross-Sectional Study].

PURPOSE: This cross-sectional study aimed to identify factors influencing the intention for continual fertility treatments among women undergoing assisted reproductive technology (ART). METHODS: A total of 197 women were recruited through convenience sample from fertility hospitals in Gyeonggi-do and Busan, South Korea. Data were collected using a self-report questionnaire incorporating measures of uncertainty; Depression Anxiety Stress Scales; Fatigue Severity Scale; Coping Scale for Infertility-Women; spousal support; treatment environment; and intention for continual fertility treatment. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, t-tests, and logistic regression analysis were conducted using IBM SPSS 26.0. RESULTS: As many as 70.6% of the participants expressed an intention for continual fertility treatments. Logistic regression analysis revealed that factors such as uncertainty (odds ratio [OR] = 0.44, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.20~0.95), active coping (OR = 4.04, 95% CI 1.11~14.71), treatment environment (OR = 2.77, 95% CI 1.26~6.07), and the duration of marriage (OR = 2.61, 95% CI 1.24~5.49) were significantly related with this intention. CONCLUSION: These findings underscore the significance of uncertainty management, having proactive coping strategies, having supportive treatment environments, and considering the duration of marriage concerning women's intention for continual fertility treatment in the context of ART. The implications of these results extend to the development of nursing intervention programs aimed at providing crucial support for women undergoing ART and seeking to continue their infertility treatment.

[The Reliability and Validity of Korean Version of the Infertility Stigma Scale (K-ISS)].

PURPOSE: This study aimed to translate the Infertility Stigma Scale (ISS) into Korean and to evaluate its reliability and validity in the Korean context. METHODS: Data were collected from 350 women who underwent in vitro fertilization (IVF). Data were analyzed using SPSS WIN 25.0 and AMOS 22.0. Content validity was analyzed using the item-level content validity index (I-CVI) and scale-level content validity index/averaging (S-CVI/Ave). The preliminary survey was conducted on 20 women who had experienced IVF at least once to check the level of understanding of the tool and the time required to fill out the questionnaire. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to test construct validity. Additionally, hypothesis-testing construct validity were tested. Cronbach's α was used to assess the reliability. RESULTS: The Korean-ISS (K-ISS) consists of 25 items, excluding two items from the original ISS questionnaire. Exploratory factor analysis identified four factors, which explained 75.6% of the total variance. The four distinct factors were infertility stigma with self-devaluation (56.8%), public stigma (8.1%), social withdrawal (6.5%), and family stigma (4.2%). In the confirmatory factor analysis, the 25 items in the four-factor structure were validated (χ²/df ≤ 3, RMSEA ≤ 10). The hypothesis-testing construct validity of K-ISS against FPI (r = .58~.71, p < .001) and FQI (r = -.49~-.65, p < .001) was tested and found to be significant. The internal consistency reliability of the K-ISS, assessed using Cronbach's α, was .97. CONCLUSION: The K-ISS has satisfactory construct validity and reliability; therefore, it can help minimize the negative impact of stigma by measuring the stigma associated with women experiencing infertility.

Mediating Effects of Emotional Self-Disclosure on the Relationship between Depression and Quality of Life for Women Undergoing In-Vitro Fertilization.

This study aimed to identify the moderating and mediating effect of emotional self-disclosure between depression and quality of life for women under infertility treatment. The subjects included 169 infertile women under in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment. The data were collected by self-administered questionnaires from June to August in 2019. The questionnaire consisted of questions about depression, emotional self-disclosure, and fertility quality of life. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, one-way analysis of variance, correlation, and stepwise multiple regression were analyzed using the SPSS 25.0 Windows program. Depression had a negative correlation with emotional self-disclosure (r = -0.189, p = 0.014) and fertility quality of life (r = -0.532, p < 0.001). Emotional self-disclosure had a positive correlation with fertility quality of life (r = 0.259, p = 0.001). These results confirm that emotional self-disclosure has mediating effects between depression and fertility quality of life. Therefore, nursing interventions for IVF patients need to encourage expressing and sharing various emotions experienced through the diagnosis and treatment of infertility in order to alleviate negative emotions.