Predictors of Depression in Men and Women Experiencing Assisted Reproductive Technology Treatment

To assess the mental health of men and women undertaking in vitro fertilisation (IVF), intracytoplasmic injection of sperm (ICSI) or intrauterine insemination (IUI) treatment cycles, and to establish characteristics associated with risk of depression. It was predicted men and women who are of low socio-economic status, adopt high levels of parenthood identity, perceive high levels of social pressure to have children, or have poor marital communication will be more likely to develop depression. Fifty-eight participants (42 females and 16 males) attending a private hospital fertility clinic completed a consent form and a questionnaire at the commencement of each cycle of their IVF/ICSI/IUI treatment. Measures in the questionnaire were derived from the Infertility Self-Efficacy Scale (ISES), The Fertility Problem Inventory (FPI) and The Mental Health Index (MHI). A multiple regression analysis revealed the importance of predictor variables social pressure and marital communication on risk of developing depression. The findings from this study provide insights into predictors of depression for individuals and couples undergoing infertility treatment. This group are often excluded from systematic research but as this study shows, these patients have their own unique characteristics that make some of them vulnerable to depression. This finding has particular implications for assessment of mental health before during and after treatment.