Download Marital satisfaction is one of the important factors affecting women`s

An investigating of happiness, marital and sexual satisfaction in fertile and infertile
women
*Ali Reza Bakhshayesh, Ph.D.
**Mahsa Dehghan Mongabadi, M.A. Student
*Malihe Raghebian, B.A.
*Mahsa Kazeraninejad, M.A. Student
***Amin Kamandar, B.A.
*Department of Psychology and Education, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran
**Department of Psychology and Education, Shiraz University, Shiraz Iran
***Department of English Language, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran
Phone number: +983518210310
Fax: +983518210310
Address: Department of Psychology and Education, Faculty of Humanities, Yazd
University, Yazd, Iran
Email: [email protected]
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Summary of abstract:
This study shows that level of happiness among infertile women is lower than fertile
women. Therefore clinical and psychological helps for increasing happiness and life
satisfaction in infertile women are recommended.
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Abstract
Objective: Marital satisfaction is one of the most important factors effecting women’s
health and also the most important life satisfaction indicator which affects couple’s
mental health. On the other hand, marital conflicts causes sex dissatisfaction between
husband and wife. Also, more pleasant living environment is associated with more
happiness and marital satisfaction. Because of few studies about happiness and sexual
satisfaction on infertile women compared to fertile group, this research wants to
investigate happiness, marital and sexual satisfaction in fertile and infertile women.
Method: This research is an analytic cross-sectional study with simple random sampling,
done on 70 fertile and 70 infertile women who referred to the fertility centers in Yazd in
2010. The testees were women aged 20-40. Explaining the research objectives and
circumstances we made sure that testees are willing to take part in the study. Dyadic
Adjustment Scale (DAS) and Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (OHQ) were distributed
and completed by testees. Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics and
independent t-test. Significant level in tests considered 0.05 (p≤0.05).
Results: Our study shows a high significant level between fertile and infertile women
with respect to happiness (p<0.001). No significant differences were observed with
respect to sexual and marital satisfaction between fertile and infertile women.
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Conclusion: This study shows that the level of happiness among infertile women is
lower than fertile women. Therefore, clinical and psychological helps are recommended
for increasing happiness and life satisfaction in infertile women.
Keywords: infertility, happiness, marital satisfaction, sexual satisfaction
Introduction
Today, infertility problem has become a social concern associated with a numerous
psychological and social problems. This stressful and disappointing event affects
interpersonal, social, marital, and sexual relations and may lead to psychological
imbalance and even divorce (1). On the other hand, infertility can affect one’s happiness.
In fact, happiness is scientifically defined as people’s evaluations of their lives. People
can form their lives on the basis of, life satisfaction or happiness, their assessment of
specific areas of the life such as marriage or work, or their recent enthusiasm regarding
what has happened for them. Great efforts have been made to determine the causes and
consequences of happiness (2). Various studies’ results indicate the extensive relationship
between marital satisfaction and happiness; an example is Kar’s research (2006). In his
study he said that marital satisfaction has a remarkable relationship with happiness. In
this aspect, the most important point is permanent remembrance of love in order to
strengthen the marital relationship (3). Couples do not feel lucky unless they understand
each other’s sorrows and encourage each other’s successes. Hence, conflicts aroused due
to the lack of love, and not being able to understand each other, are related to happiness
(4).
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When the husband and wife relationship compromises and marital understanding reduces,
the destructive and negative effects on family welfare and couples’ sexual relationship
will appear (5). It should be mention that marital satisfaction represents the strength and
efficiency of family discipline. Healthy family and society are formed from conscious
and healthy couples’ relationship. Loss and lack of marital satisfaction is one of the
reasons that cause couples to refer to family counselors and therapists (6). Compatibility
and marital satisfaction is a condition in which couples often feel happy and satisfied
with each other which is created through mutual interests, taking care of each other,
acceptance, understanding each other and satisfying needs, including sexual needs.
Compatible and happy married couples are those who have a lot in common, are satisfied
with the type and level of their relations, and are satisfied with the type and quality of
their leisure, and plan their time and financial problems well. On the other hand, conflicts
in couple’s relations lead to confusion in social relationship, the tendency toward social
deviation and declining cultural values among couples (7, 8). One of the biggest
problems, which can affect someone's individual and social life, is sexual orientation (9).
Sexual satisfaction is effective in marital satisfaction, because sexual dysfunction can
also affect marital relationships (10). Sexual satisfaction is one’s judgments about his/her
sexual behavior, whether it is enjoyable or not (11). Sexual satisfaction comes from a
good and satisfactory feeling while creating couples making love (12).
Marital relationships' problems are the main reason for sexual dysfunction (13).
Subsequently sexual problems lead to new problems in relationship (13, 14). Brezsnyak,
(15) in his article "sexual pleasure and its impact on marital satisfaction" found that
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marital satisfaction is associated with sexual pleasure and sexual satisfaction follows with
more marital satisfaction.
With respect to the studies done in this field, 80% of infertile patients suffer from
psychological disorders (16) including lack of marital satisfaction (17, 18, 19, 20), in
relationship disorders especially in couples (19, 20, 11), loss of self-confidence in sexual
relations and number of sexual intercourses (21), reduction of sexual desire (19), anger
and negative emotional impacts (20).
With respect to these points, and the fact that fertility in the Iranian community has
tremendous importance in terms of culture and society, and since most of these studies
were carried out descriptively and with no comparison with other groups, especially
fertile women, the current study was carried out in order to compare happiness, marital
satisfaction and sexual relations in fertile and infertile women referred to treatment
centers in Yazd. This study tries to answer these questions:
1- Is there any difference between fertile and infertile women with respect to
happiness?
2- Is there any difference between fertile and infertile women’s marital satisfaction?
3- Is there any difference between fertile and infertile women considering sexual
satisfaction?
Materials and Methods
This is a descriptive cross-sectional study. Required information is gathered through
Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS) and Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (OHQ). Statistical
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society includes all fertile and infertile women referred to fertility centers in Yazd. In
order to choose sample, women in the age range of 20-40 years old referring to medical
centers were chosen through simple random sampling. There were 140 testees, including
70 fertile and 70 infertile women, and 133 questionnaires were returned. The results were
analyzed using statistical software (SPSS 16) and independent t-test.
Dyadic Adjustment Satisfaction (DAS): This test is a form of DAS, designed by Graham
Spinner, which is shortened with regard to Persian culture and includes 32 questions.
This test has several goals and evaluates some relationships including: 1- marital
empathy, 2- expression of love, 3- sexual satisfaction and 4- marital agreements. Total
mean score is 114.8 for married and 70.7 for divorced persons.
Reliability: The scale's total score (using Cronbach’s alpha) is 96%, reliability for sexual
satisfaction is 94%, for empathy 81%, for marital satisfaction 90%, and for expressing
love is 73%. Content validity of scale was checked with marital Lock-Wallace, has been
concurrent validity (22).
Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (OHQ): Oxford happiness test has 29 parts and
measures the amount of personal happiness. The theoretical basis of this questionnaire is
Argail and Crosland definition of happiness (in order to provide a practical definition for
happiness, they considered it as a three dimensional structure: frequency and positive
sentiment's degree, average level of satisfaction over a period, and lack of negative
feeling). This test was created by Michael Agrail in 1989, based on Beck Depression
Inventory (BDI, 1976). Ali Nourbala has translated this questionnaire (23) in our country.
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This test was validated among students in Tehran. Content validity was confirmed by 10
experts to measure test ability for testing. Reliability of test was gained with split half
method 92% and by internal consistency and Cronbach’s alpha 93%. Factor analysis
extracted five factors from 29 question of the test that 57.1% of chi variance. In this test,
the score ranging is 1-4.
Results
Descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation) and independent t-test were used in order
to analyze the information in this study. Happiness, martial satisfaction and sexual
satisfaction were analyzed in two groups, fertile and infertile.
Table 1 shows the mean, standard deviation, minimum and maximum of the resultant
scores from fertile and infertile women in the performed questionnaires.
Table1. Mean, standard deviation, minimum and maximum in martial satisfaction,
happiness, and sexual satisfaction subtest.
Variable
Happiness
Sexual satisfaction
Marital satisfaction
Number of participants
133
133
133
Mean
44.5
8
103.5
8
Standard deviation
14.3
2.04
23.6
Maximum score
83
10
145
Minimum score
12
0
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As you see in table 1, for happiness, mean is 44.5 and standard deviation is 14.3 which
indicate a high dispersal among participants. Maximum and minimum scores are 83 and
12 respectively which show a significant difference between fertile and infertile women
in this category.
Mean for sexual satisfaction is 8 and its standard deviation is 2.04 which shows that
dispersal is in the middle. Minimum and maximum are 10 and 0 respectively which
indicates a high difference among participants.
Martial satisfaction’s mean and standard deviation are 103.5 and 23.6 respectively which
shows a high dispersal among participants and also maximum and minimum scores, 145
and 12 respectively, indicate a significant difference between fertile and infertile women
in this category.
In order to compare happiness, martial and sexual satisfaction in fertile and infertile
women, independent t-test was used (Tables 2- 4).
Table2. Mean, standard deviation, and independent t-test results for comparison of
happiness in fertile and infertile women.
Variable
Group
Number
Mean
Standard
t
df
Sig
deviation
happiness Fertile
Infertile
66
47.82
13.82
67
40.37
13.59
9
3.55
131
0.001***
***p<0.001
For the first question of study -the difference of happiness level between fertile and
infertile women- mean scores were analyzed through independent t-test and the results
show that the two groups have a significant difference in happiness level (t=3.55;
p=0.001) and it means that fertile women are in a better condition than infertile women.
Table3. Mean, standard deviation, and independent t-test results for comparison of
marital satisfaction in fertile and infertile women.
Standard
Variable
Group
Number
Marital
Fertile
66
103.06
27.01
67
104.01
19.9
satisfaction Infertile
Mean
deviation
t
df
0.232
sig
131
0.817
For the second question of study -the difference between marital satisfaction scale in
fertile and infertile women- mean scores of testees were analyzed through independent ttest and the results show that there is no significant difference between the two groups in
marital satisfaction.
Table4. Mean, standard deviation, and independent t-test results for comparison of sexual
satisfaction scale in fertile and infertile women.
Variable
Group
Number
Standard
Mean
deviation
10
t
df
sig
Sexual
Fertile
satisfaction Infertile
66
7.6
2.2
67
8.3
2.7
-1.80
131
0.74
For the third question of this study -the differences between sexual satisfaction in fertile
and infertile women- mean scores of examinees were analyzed by independent t-test and
the results show that there is no significant difference between the two groups.
Discussion
The first question was, is there any significant difference between happiness in fertile and
infertile women? Regarding the results, it can be seen that there is a significant different
between happiness in fertile and infertile women. It can be seen that the level of
happiness in fertile women is higher than infertile women. Unfortunately, as there
weren’t any other studies done in this field; we couldn’t compare the results.
The second research question was, is there any significant difference between marital
satisfaction in fertile and infertile women? The research findings show that there is no
significant difference between marital satisfaction in fertile and infertile women and this
means that marital satisfaction level is the same in both groups. This finding is the same
as Joneidi’s (2007). Joneydi et al, used Linda Berg- Cresy questionnaire, and got to the
point that sexual satisfaction in fertile and infertile women is not significantly different
(24). Faal Kalkhoran et al used Evaluation and Nurturing Relationship Issues (Enrich)
and also said that infertile women got to a lower level of marital satisfaction, but this
difference is not statistically high enough. So their result is the same as this study(25).
Furthermore, our research finding was the same as Mazaheris’s (2001). Mazaheri et al,
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who used Marital Adjustment Test (MAT), have shown that in the same two groups,
fertile women and infertile women, marital compatibility does not differ and this factor
does not play a significant role (26). On the other hand, there is a difference between
Shakeri’s research (2008) finding and ours. They have used Index of Marital Satisfaction
(IMS) and have shown that the level of marital satisfaction differs between fertile and
infertile women (1). This dissimilarity in findings might be a result of difference between
sample size and the questionnaire model which is used in two researches.
The third research question was, is there any difference between the level of sexual
satisfaction in fertile and infertile women? Results show that there is no significant
difference between sexual satisfaction level in fertile and infertile women. This result is
the same as Nourani’s research (2009) finding. Nourani et al who used Jones & Azrin
Marital Satisfaction Questionnaire have shown that there is no significant statistical
difference between the level of sexual satisfaction in fertile and infertile women (10).
Moreover, according to Monga’s study (2004) which evaluates effects of infertility on
life quality, marital satisfaction, and sexual satisfaction, it is said that sexual satisfaction
does not have a significant difference in fertile and infertile women groups (21). But
Besharat and Hoseinzade (2006) who used Golombok-Rust Inventory of Sexual State,
concluded in their research that there is a significant difference between sexual
satisfaction in fertile and infertile women (27). These similarities and dissimilarities in
research findings can also be a result of different questionnaires and different analyzes
methods used by researchers.
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Conclusion
This research provides some information about happiness, marital satisfaction, and sexual
satisfaction for healthcare authorities, educational planners, and other researchers. It
seems that we need more studies in the field of happiness in fertile and infertile women.
Perhaps, more workshops and consultations about sexual satisfaction and marital
satisfaction can be useful in these areas.
Acknowledgment
No conflict of interest existed for the authors of this article. Yazd Infertility Center,
Madar Hospital (Yazd) Obstetrics and Gynecology Ward, Mojibian Hospital (Yazd)
Obstetrics and Gynecology Ward, are appreciated for their contributions and information.
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