Abstract:

Infertility is a distressing experience for women but not many researches have looked at it according to type of infertility (primary or secondary) and its impact on marital satisfaction. Also, studies have focused on negative consequences of infertility rather than the strength based constructs like self-compassion. The purpose of this research was to examine the relationship among marital satisfaction, self-compassion, and infertility related stress in women with primary and secondary infertility. A convenience sample of 200 infertile women (100 with primary infertility; 100 with secondary infertility) was chosen with ages between 20 to 40 years (M=31.64, SD=4.33) from two infertility centers of Lahore. Couple satisfaction index, fertility problem inventory, and self-compassion scale were used for collecting the required data. Bivariate correlation, independent sample T-test and linear regression were used for data analysis. The results showed self-compassion and infertility related stress as significant predictors of marital satiation in infertile women. Also, women with secondary infertility had higher self–compassion and better marital satisfaction than women with primary infertility. It is recommended that self-compassion interventions be carried out for women experiencing infertility to improve their emotional coping skills and enhance their physical and mental wellbeing.

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