Combating psychological distress with the Mindfulness-Based Program for Infertility

This paper studied the impact of the Mindfulness-Based Program for Infertility.

Infertility causes not only medical problems, but also psychological ones. In some couples, infertility has led to depression and anxiety. Various psychological interventions have been developed to combat the psychological effects of infertility. One program, the mindfulness-based intervention, had been shown to be effective in other health issues. However, it had not been developed and studied specifically with regards to infertility. The Mindfulness-Based Program for Infertility was developed to encourage mindfulness (acceptance of the present moment) and acceptance. 

Participants of the program were infertile women and were either married or living with a partner. The participants were divided into a Mindfulness-Based Program group (that underwent the program; 55 participants), and a control group that did not undergo the program (37 participants). Husbands or partners were invited to participate in 3 of the sessions.

The participants self-reported several psychological measurements before and after the program. Depression, anxiety, shame, entrapment (wanting to escape), acceptance, self-compassion and mindfulness were factors reported. Additionally, the infertility self-efficacy scale (measurement of patient's perception of ability to deal with infertility and medical treatment) was also self-reported.

 The Mindfulness-Based Program for infertility involved 10 weekly 2-hour sessions. Sessions were run in a group format. Every session had a time for sharing. Participants were taught about mindfulness and learnt various mindfulness exercises. They also shared their experiences at the end of each session.

There were significant decreases in anxiety, avoidance and self-judgement in participants after undergoing the Mindfulness-Based Program. No differences were found in self-compassion. In the control group, no differences were found in any measured factor except for a decrease in self-judgement. 

The authors concluded that the Mindfulness-Based Program for infertility is effective in decreasing psychological distress. 

Talk to your doctor about any psychological burdens you have and the possibility of receiving interventions like the Mindfulness-Based Program for infertility.