Are there preferred coping and communication strategies while undergoing IVF, and do cognitive behavioral interventions help?

The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice, Ahead of Print. Purpose Coping and communication strategies affect how one perceives potentially stressful life events, such as infertility. Cognitive behavioral interventions (CBI) can reduce the distress related to undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF). The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of CBI on the coping and communication skills as well as perceived stress and depressive symptoms of women undergoing IVF treatment. The authors also explored the relationship between coping strategies and pregnancy rates. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted a randomized controlled trial of CBI in 50 women undergoing IVF (NCT00685282). Findings The authors found that CBI was associated with reductions in active-confrontive coping among over 50 percent of participants, which was also found to be positively related to depressive symptoms. Furthermore, high meaning-based coping at baseline and high-avoidant coping at the end of IVF treatment were associated with increased pregnancy rates. Research limitations/implications CBI can be helpful in reducing the perceived stress of women undergoing IVF; however, the adaptiveness of individual coping skills and communication skills vary. Since different coping strategies seem to be of benefit at different time points, further studies might benefit from the examination of engaging in context-dependent coping strategies. Practical implications Integratin...
Source: The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research