Gender differences in infertility-related stress and the relationship between stress and social support in Thai infertile couples.

OBJECTIVE To study infertility-related stress among men and women and to examine its relationship with the level of perceived social support. MATERIAL AND METHOD The Fertility Problem Inventory (FPI) and the Personal Resource Questionnaire (PRQ) were translated into Thai and used to assess the level of infertility-related stress and perceived social support, respectively, in 238 infertile subjects. RESULTS The global FPI scores for men and women were 154.2 +/- 18.3 and 154.7 +/- 22.6, respectively (p > 0.05). There was no significant difference in their perceived social support (PRQ scores = 137.8 + 14.0 and 134.0 +/- 16. 7 respectively). A significant negative correlation (r = -0.1894; p < 0.001) existed between global stress and social support in women, but not in men. CONCLUSION Thai infertile couples experienced a high level of stress. Unlike previous studies from Western countries, there was no gender diference in infertility-related stress.