Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-25-2025
Abstract
Background
Stigma is the experience of feeling different from socially accepted norms which can lead to personal devaluation or fear of disapproval from others. For men and women experiencing infertility, stigma has been associated with psychological distress, feelings of otherness in relation to people with children, and selective disclosure with others about their infertility challenges. However, there are few studies which examine how infertility stigma and being open with others are related to depressive symptoms and meaning in life for men and women diagnosed with infertility.
Methods
Participants experiencing infertility were recruited for this cross-sectional study during November 2023-January 2024 via announcements on infertility discussion listservs and social media accounts. Four-hundred fifty-eight women and 89 men completed an online survey. Participants were primarily from the United States (81%), followed by Europe, Canada, and Australia/New Zealand. Participants completed validated and reliable measures of infertility stigma, openness with others, depressive symptoms and meaning in life.
Results
Hierarchical regression models explained substantial variance (adjusted R-squared) for depressive symptoms (41% men; 27% women), search for meaning in life (12% men; 14% women), and presence of meaning in life (19% men; 25% women). For both men and women, higher personal infertility stigma was significantly related with higher depressive symptoms and search for meaning. For both men and women, higher openness with others about infertility was significantly associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms and greater presence of meaning.
Conclusions
The current findings support prior research indicating a significant association between infertility stigma and depressive symptoms and adds to the infertility literature by offering new insights into the relationships between stigma, openness with others, and meaning in life. Health care providers can use these findings to assist individuals and couples in reducing infertility stigma through collaborative conversations that reduce feelings of personal failure. Providers can also help those with infertility challenges to reduce psychological distress and increase meaning in life through accessing existing social networks and expanding social connections with others in ways that facilitate support.
Recommended Citation
Peterson, B., Taubman-Ben-Ari, O., Chiu, B. et al. Infertility stigma and openness with others are related to depressive symptoms and meaning in life in men and women diagnosed with infertility. Reprod Health 22, 7 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-025-01951-0
Copyright
The authors
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Included in
Marriage and Family Therapy and Counseling Commons, Other Mental and Social Health Commons
Comments
This article was originally published in Reproductive Health, volume 22, in 2025. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-025-01951-0
This article was the recipient of a Chapman University Supporting Open Access Research and Scholarship (SOARS) award.