Title : Prevalence of anxiety and associated factor among infertile couples in eastern india: A cross-sectional study
Abstract:
Objectives: More than 10% of women suffer from infertility. Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) is one of the most prevalent psychological disorders among infertile patients. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of GAD and its associated factors among infertile patients in West Bengal, India.
Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 109 infertile patients in a tertiary care centre in West Bengal, India, between Dec 2023 and June 2024. Demographic, fertility characteristics and GAD data were collected through a questionnaire. SPSS statistical software (IBM SPSS version 29) was used to analyse the obtained data. Descriptive analysis was used to describe basic information and anxiety scores, and binary logistic regression was used to analyse the relationship between anxiety and other variables.
Results: The prevalence of anxiety among infertile patients was 46.8%. Binary logistic regression showed that patients with lower education levels were more likely to have anxiety (p-value 0.002). Patients from lower socioeconomic classes were more likely to have anxiety (p-value 0.001). Patients who didn’t receive mental health services (MHS) (p-value 0.003) and the age of participants more than 35 years (p-value 0.042) were also associated with anxiety.
Conclusion: The prevalence of GAD among infertile couples is high, particularly in patients aged more than 35 years, with low education levels and lower socio-economic class. Mental health services should be given to infertile couples.
Keywords: Infertility, Anxiety, Mental Health Services, Education, Socio-economic status
