Comparison of Happiness in Infertile Women and Wives of Infertile Men

Background: Infertility and its treatment as one of the most difficult experiences in life, affects the mental health and happiness of couples, especially the women. This study was conducted with the aim of comparing the happiness of infertile women and the wives of infertile men. Methods: This was a comparative cross-sectional study. The study sample included 142 women (71 infertile women and 71 wives of infertile men) referring to the infertility clinic of Akbarabadi Hospital in Tehran-Iran, who were selected by consecutive sampling from February to August 2020.  Demographic information and the Oxford Happiness Inventory (OHI) were used to collect the data. The data analysis was performed in SPSS software (version 16) using Fisher's exact test, Chi-square, Kruskal-wallis and independent t-test. A P<0.05 was considered significant. Results: The results of the study showed that infertile women are happier than the wives of infertile men (P = 0.006). Also, the subscales of life satisfaction (P = 0.016), efficacy (P = 0.025), cheerfulness (P=0.001), and self-esteem (P= 0.017) were higher in infertile women than the other group. However, there was no significant difference between the subscales of sociability and well-being in the two groups. Conclusion: According to the findings, spouses of infertile men may experience lower levels of happiness than infertile women. In addition to the need of paying more attention to the psychological condition of infertile men's wives, it seems that more detailed studies with a higher sample size are needed to confirm the results. Also, qualitative studies are recommended to clarify all dimensions of happiness of infertile couples.