Araştırma Makalesi
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The Determination of the Relationship Social Stigma and Infertility Distress in Infertile Women

Yıl 2026, Cilt: 9 Sayı: 2, 232 - 241, 25.03.2026
https://doi.org/10.38108/ouhcd.1513500
https://izlik.org/JA62NM74YF

Öz

Objective: This research was conducted to identify the relationship between social stigma and infertility distress in infertile women.
Method: Designed as descriptive research, the study had a sample comprised of 166 infertile women applying in January-April 2022.
Results: Means of participant women’s IDS and ISS scores were calculated respectively as 46.33±15.22 and 74.22±31.82 points. It was discerned that women’s IDS scores had statistically significant positive relationships with scores obtained by them from the ISS and its sub-scales (p<0.01). As the duration of being infertile increased, women’s infertility distress levels and feelings of stigma also increased (successively p=0.000, p=0.001). As the age of menarche increased, women’s infertility distress levels and feelings of stigma decreased (consecutively p=0.029, p=0.007).
Conclusion: Lastly, women had medium-level infertility distress and felt moderately stigmatized. Education and counseling can be provided to women and their partners about the psychological effects of infertility.

Kaynakça

  • Akyüz A, Gürhan N, Bakır B.(2008). Development and validation of an infertility distress scale for Turkish women. TAF Preventive Medicine Bulletin, 7(6), 46976.
  • Altıparmak S, Aksoy-Derya Y.(2018). The effects of fertility-supporting health training on healthy lifestyle behaviors and infertility self-efficacy in infertile women: A quasi-experimental study. European Journal of Integrative Medicine, 20, 146-153.
  • Anokye R, Acheampong E, Mprah WK., Ope JO., Barivure TN. (2017). Psychosocial effects of infertility among couples attending St. Michael's Hospital, Jachie-Pramso in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. BMC Research Notes, 10(1), 690.
  • Arslan-Özkan İ, Okumuş H, Buldukoğlu K. (2014). A randomized controlled trial of the effects of nursing care based on Watson's theory of human caring on distress, self-efficacy and adjustment in infertile women. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 70(8),1801-1812.
  • Cook RJ, Dickens BM. (2014). Reducing stigma in reproductive health. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, 125(1), 89-92.
  • Çapık A, Aksoy M, Yılmaz E, Yılmaz F. (2019). Infertility Stigma Scale: A psychometric study in a Turkish sample. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, 55(2), 328-335.
  • Dağ H, Yiğitoğlu S, Aksakal BI, Kavlak O. (2015). The association between coping method and distress in infertile woman: A cross-sectional study from Turkey. Pakistan Journal of Medical Science, 31(6), 1457-1462.
  • Daibes MA, Safadi RR, Athamneh T, Anees IF, Constantino RE. (2018). Half a woman, half a man; that is how they make me feel: A qualitative study of rural Jordanian women's experience of infertility. Culture Health and Sexuality, 20(5), 516-530.
  • Deyhoul N, Mohamaddoost T, Hosseini (2017). Infertility-related risk factors: A systematic review. International Journal of Women's Health, 5(1), 24-29.
  • Dhont N. (2011). Clinical, epidemiological and socio-cultural aspects of infertility in resource-poor settings. Evidence from Rwanda. Facts, Views & Vision in Obgyn, 3(2), 77-88.
  • Dierickx S, Rahbari L, Longman C, Jaiteh F, Coene G.(2018). 'I am always crying on the inside': a qualitative study on the implications of infertility on women's lives in urban Gambia. Reproductive Health, 15(1), 151.
  • Donkor ES, Sandall J. (2007).The impact of perceived stigma and mediating social factors on infertility-related stress among women seeking infertility treatment in Southern Ghana. Social Science & Medicine, 65(8), 1683-1694.
  • Ergin RN, Polat A, Kars B, Öztekin D, Sofuoğlu K, Çalışkan E.(2018). Social stigma and familial attitudes related to infertility. Turkish Journal of Obstetric and Gynecology, 15(1), 46-49.
  • Fu B, Qin N, Cheng L, Tang G, Cao Y, Yan C, et al.(2015). Development and validation of an infertility Stigma Scale for Chinese women. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 79(1), 69‐75.
  • Hanna E, Gough B. (2020). The social construction of male infertility: A qualitative questionnaire study of men with a male factor infertility diagnosis. Sociology of Health Illnesses, 42(3), 465-480.
  • Karaca A, Ünsal G. (2015). Psychosocial problems and coping strategies among Turkish women with infertility. Asian Nursing Research, 9(3), 243-250.
  • Kaya Z, Oskay Ü. (2020). Stigma, hopelessness and coping experiences of Turkish women with infertility. Journal of Reproductive and İnfant Psychology, 38(5), 485-496.
  • Kaya Z. (2018). Determination of stigmatization, hopelessness and coping styles of infertile women [master’s thesis]. Istanbul: Istanbul University; 2018.
  • Kamışlı S, Terzioğlu C, Bozdağ G. (2021). Mental states of infertile women: Hopelessness, anxiety and depression levels. Journal of Psychiatric Nursing, 12(1), 43-49.
  • Kumar N, Singh AK. (2015). Trends of male factor infertility, an important cause of infertility: A review of literature. Journal of Human Reproductive Sciences, 8(4),191-196.
  • Küçükkaya M, Kılıç M. (2022). The effect of stigma on level of ınfertility-related psychological distress in women with infertility. African Journal of Reproductive Health, 26 (2), 13-25.
  • Missmer SA, Seifer DB, Jain T. (2011). Cultural factors contributing to health care disparities among patients with infertility in Midwestern United States. Fertilite and Sterility, 95(6), 1943-1949.
  • Nahar P, van der Geest S. (2014). How women in Bangladesh confront the stigma of childlessness: agency, resilience, and resistance. Medical Anthropology Quarterly, 28(3), 381-398.
  • Nuri Tural G, Sis Çelik A. (2019). Determination of the relationship between the levels of psychological effects of infertility and social support perceived by primary infertile women. Journal of Health Science and Profession, 6(1), 91-104.
  • Ofosu-Budu D, Hanninen V. (2020). Living as an infertile woman: The case of southern and northern Ghana. Reproductıve Health, 17(69), 1-9.
  • Oskan Fırat B, Hotun Şahin N. (2022). Infertility and stigmatization within the context of gender roles: a systematic review. Ordu University Journal of Nursing Studies, 5(1), 93-103.
  • Öztürk R, Bloom TL, Li Y, Bullock LFC. (2021). Stress, stigma, violence experiences and social support of US infertile women. Journal of Reproductıve Infant Psychology, 39(2), 205-217.
  • Remennick L. (2000). Childless in the land of imperative motherhood: Stigma and coping among infertile Israeli women. Sex Roles, 43,821-841.
  • Sen S, Sevil U. (2016). Stigma experiences of infertile women: a qualitative study in Turkey. International Refereed Journal of Gynaecology and Maternal Child Health, 6, 63-82.
  • Shahraki Z, Ghajarzadeh M, Ganjali M. (2019). Depression, anxiety, quality of life and sexual dysfunction in Zabol women with infertility. Maedica (Bucur), 14(2), 131-134.
  • Ünal S, Kargın M, Akyüz A. (2010). Factors affecting infertile women psychologically. TAF Preventive Medicine Bulletin, 9(5), 481-486.
  • Sophia NS, Punitha P. (2017). A study on childless couples seeking treatment for infertility. İnternational Journal of Applied Research, 3(4), 161-162.
  • Tural-Nuri G, Sis-Çelik A. (2019). Primer infertil kadınların algıladıkları sosyal destek ile infertiliteden etkilenme düzeyleri arasındaki ilişkinin belirlenmesi. HSP,6(1),91-10
  • Weghofer A, Kim A, Barad DH, Gleicher N. (2013). Age at menarche: A predictor of diminished ovarian function? Fertility and Sterility, 100(4), 1039-1043.
  • Yeshua D. (2017). Childless in an IVF-nation: online stigma-coping strategies in support groups for childless Israeli women. Information, Communication & Society, 21(10), 1436-1452.
  • Yılmaz B, Şahin N. (2020). Methods of individual coping with infertility stress: a systematic review. Celal Bayar University-Health Sciences Institute Journal, 7(1), 84-85.
  • Yılmaz E, Kavak F. (2019). The effect of stigma on depression levels of Turkish women with infertility. Perspect Psychiatric Care, 55(3), 378-382.
  • Zorlu S, Erbaş N. (2021). The relationship between infertile women’s distress from infertility, coping with stress, and perceived social support. Journal of Ege University Nursing Faculty, 37(2), 95-105.

İnfertil Kadınlarda Sosyal Damgalanma ile İnfertiliteden Etkilenme Arasındaki İlişkinin İncelenmesi

Yıl 2026, Cilt: 9 Sayı: 2, 232 - 241, 25.03.2026
https://doi.org/10.38108/ouhcd.1513500
https://izlik.org/JA62NM74YF

Öz

Amaç: Bu araştırma, infertil kadınlarda sosyal damgalanma ile infertiliteden etkilenme arasındaki ilişkiyi belirlemek amacıyla yapıldı.
Yöntem: Tanımlayıcı tipte olan araştırmanın örneklemini Ocak- Nisan 2022 tarihleri arasında 166 infertil kadın oluşturdu.
Bulgular: Araştırmaya katılan kadınların İEÖ puan ortalaması 46.33±15.22, İDÖ toplam puan ortalaması 74.22±31.82 olarak bulundu. Kadınların İEÖ ile İDÖ toplam puanları ve İDÖ alt boyutları arasında yüksek düzeylerde pozitif yönlü anlamlı bir ilişki belirlendi (p<0.01). Kadınların infertil olma süresi arttıkça infertiliteden etkilenmesi ve damgalanma hissi artmaktaydı (sırasıyla p=0.000, p=0.001). Kadınların menarş yaşı arttıkça infertiliteden etkilenmesi ve damgalanma hissi azalmaktaydı (sırasıyla p=0.029, p=0.007).
Sonuç: Sonuç olarak, kadınların infertiliteden orta düzeyde etkilendiği ve orta düzeyde damgalanma hissettiği belirlendi. Kadınlara ve eşlerine infertilitenin psikolojik etkileri konusunda eğitim ve danışmanlık yapılabilir.

Kaynakça

  • Akyüz A, Gürhan N, Bakır B.(2008). Development and validation of an infertility distress scale for Turkish women. TAF Preventive Medicine Bulletin, 7(6), 46976.
  • Altıparmak S, Aksoy-Derya Y.(2018). The effects of fertility-supporting health training on healthy lifestyle behaviors and infertility self-efficacy in infertile women: A quasi-experimental study. European Journal of Integrative Medicine, 20, 146-153.
  • Anokye R, Acheampong E, Mprah WK., Ope JO., Barivure TN. (2017). Psychosocial effects of infertility among couples attending St. Michael's Hospital, Jachie-Pramso in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. BMC Research Notes, 10(1), 690.
  • Arslan-Özkan İ, Okumuş H, Buldukoğlu K. (2014). A randomized controlled trial of the effects of nursing care based on Watson's theory of human caring on distress, self-efficacy and adjustment in infertile women. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 70(8),1801-1812.
  • Cook RJ, Dickens BM. (2014). Reducing stigma in reproductive health. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, 125(1), 89-92.
  • Çapık A, Aksoy M, Yılmaz E, Yılmaz F. (2019). Infertility Stigma Scale: A psychometric study in a Turkish sample. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, 55(2), 328-335.
  • Dağ H, Yiğitoğlu S, Aksakal BI, Kavlak O. (2015). The association between coping method and distress in infertile woman: A cross-sectional study from Turkey. Pakistan Journal of Medical Science, 31(6), 1457-1462.
  • Daibes MA, Safadi RR, Athamneh T, Anees IF, Constantino RE. (2018). Half a woman, half a man; that is how they make me feel: A qualitative study of rural Jordanian women's experience of infertility. Culture Health and Sexuality, 20(5), 516-530.
  • Deyhoul N, Mohamaddoost T, Hosseini (2017). Infertility-related risk factors: A systematic review. International Journal of Women's Health, 5(1), 24-29.
  • Dhont N. (2011). Clinical, epidemiological and socio-cultural aspects of infertility in resource-poor settings. Evidence from Rwanda. Facts, Views & Vision in Obgyn, 3(2), 77-88.
  • Dierickx S, Rahbari L, Longman C, Jaiteh F, Coene G.(2018). 'I am always crying on the inside': a qualitative study on the implications of infertility on women's lives in urban Gambia. Reproductive Health, 15(1), 151.
  • Donkor ES, Sandall J. (2007).The impact of perceived stigma and mediating social factors on infertility-related stress among women seeking infertility treatment in Southern Ghana. Social Science & Medicine, 65(8), 1683-1694.
  • Ergin RN, Polat A, Kars B, Öztekin D, Sofuoğlu K, Çalışkan E.(2018). Social stigma and familial attitudes related to infertility. Turkish Journal of Obstetric and Gynecology, 15(1), 46-49.
  • Fu B, Qin N, Cheng L, Tang G, Cao Y, Yan C, et al.(2015). Development and validation of an infertility Stigma Scale for Chinese women. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 79(1), 69‐75.
  • Hanna E, Gough B. (2020). The social construction of male infertility: A qualitative questionnaire study of men with a male factor infertility diagnosis. Sociology of Health Illnesses, 42(3), 465-480.
  • Karaca A, Ünsal G. (2015). Psychosocial problems and coping strategies among Turkish women with infertility. Asian Nursing Research, 9(3), 243-250.
  • Kaya Z, Oskay Ü. (2020). Stigma, hopelessness and coping experiences of Turkish women with infertility. Journal of Reproductive and İnfant Psychology, 38(5), 485-496.
  • Kaya Z. (2018). Determination of stigmatization, hopelessness and coping styles of infertile women [master’s thesis]. Istanbul: Istanbul University; 2018.
  • Kamışlı S, Terzioğlu C, Bozdağ G. (2021). Mental states of infertile women: Hopelessness, anxiety and depression levels. Journal of Psychiatric Nursing, 12(1), 43-49.
  • Kumar N, Singh AK. (2015). Trends of male factor infertility, an important cause of infertility: A review of literature. Journal of Human Reproductive Sciences, 8(4),191-196.
  • Küçükkaya M, Kılıç M. (2022). The effect of stigma on level of ınfertility-related psychological distress in women with infertility. African Journal of Reproductive Health, 26 (2), 13-25.
  • Missmer SA, Seifer DB, Jain T. (2011). Cultural factors contributing to health care disparities among patients with infertility in Midwestern United States. Fertilite and Sterility, 95(6), 1943-1949.
  • Nahar P, van der Geest S. (2014). How women in Bangladesh confront the stigma of childlessness: agency, resilience, and resistance. Medical Anthropology Quarterly, 28(3), 381-398.
  • Nuri Tural G, Sis Çelik A. (2019). Determination of the relationship between the levels of psychological effects of infertility and social support perceived by primary infertile women. Journal of Health Science and Profession, 6(1), 91-104.
  • Ofosu-Budu D, Hanninen V. (2020). Living as an infertile woman: The case of southern and northern Ghana. Reproductıve Health, 17(69), 1-9.
  • Oskan Fırat B, Hotun Şahin N. (2022). Infertility and stigmatization within the context of gender roles: a systematic review. Ordu University Journal of Nursing Studies, 5(1), 93-103.
  • Öztürk R, Bloom TL, Li Y, Bullock LFC. (2021). Stress, stigma, violence experiences and social support of US infertile women. Journal of Reproductıve Infant Psychology, 39(2), 205-217.
  • Remennick L. (2000). Childless in the land of imperative motherhood: Stigma and coping among infertile Israeli women. Sex Roles, 43,821-841.
  • Sen S, Sevil U. (2016). Stigma experiences of infertile women: a qualitative study in Turkey. International Refereed Journal of Gynaecology and Maternal Child Health, 6, 63-82.
  • Shahraki Z, Ghajarzadeh M, Ganjali M. (2019). Depression, anxiety, quality of life and sexual dysfunction in Zabol women with infertility. Maedica (Bucur), 14(2), 131-134.
  • Ünal S, Kargın M, Akyüz A. (2010). Factors affecting infertile women psychologically. TAF Preventive Medicine Bulletin, 9(5), 481-486.
  • Sophia NS, Punitha P. (2017). A study on childless couples seeking treatment for infertility. İnternational Journal of Applied Research, 3(4), 161-162.
  • Tural-Nuri G, Sis-Çelik A. (2019). Primer infertil kadınların algıladıkları sosyal destek ile infertiliteden etkilenme düzeyleri arasındaki ilişkinin belirlenmesi. HSP,6(1),91-10
  • Weghofer A, Kim A, Barad DH, Gleicher N. (2013). Age at menarche: A predictor of diminished ovarian function? Fertility and Sterility, 100(4), 1039-1043.
  • Yeshua D. (2017). Childless in an IVF-nation: online stigma-coping strategies in support groups for childless Israeli women. Information, Communication & Society, 21(10), 1436-1452.
  • Yılmaz B, Şahin N. (2020). Methods of individual coping with infertility stress: a systematic review. Celal Bayar University-Health Sciences Institute Journal, 7(1), 84-85.
  • Yılmaz E, Kavak F. (2019). The effect of stigma on depression levels of Turkish women with infertility. Perspect Psychiatric Care, 55(3), 378-382.
  • Zorlu S, Erbaş N. (2021). The relationship between infertile women’s distress from infertility, coping with stress, and perceived social support. Journal of Ege University Nursing Faculty, 37(2), 95-105.
Toplam 38 adet kaynakça vardır.

Ayrıntılar

Birincil Dil İngilizce
Konular Doğum ve Kadın Hastalıkları Hemşireliği
Bölüm Araştırma Makalesi
Yazarlar

Özlem Doğan Yüksekol 0000-0002-1761-1479

Ayşe Nur Yılmaz 0000-0003-0489-7639

Nazlı Baltacı 0000-0001-8582-6300

Mihriban Ulucan 0000-0001-5462-2209

Gönderilme Tarihi 9 Temmuz 2024
Kabul Tarihi 28 Aralık 2024
Yayımlanma Tarihi 25 Mart 2026
DOI https://doi.org/10.38108/ouhcd.1513500
IZ https://izlik.org/JA62NM74YF
Yayımlandığı Sayı Yıl 2026 Cilt: 9 Sayı: 2

Kaynak Göster

APA Doğan Yüksekol, Ö., Yılmaz, A. N., Baltacı, N., & Ulucan, M. (2026). The Determination of the Relationship Social Stigma and Infertility Distress in Infertile Women. Ordu Üniversitesi Hemşirelik Çalışmaları Dergisi, 9(2), 232-241. https://doi.org/10.38108/ouhcd.1513500
AMA 1.Doğan Yüksekol Ö, Yılmaz AN, Baltacı N, Ulucan M. The Determination of the Relationship Social Stigma and Infertility Distress in Infertile Women. Ordu University J Nurs Stud. 2026;9(2):232-241. doi:10.38108/ouhcd.1513500
Chicago Doğan Yüksekol, Özlem, Ayşe Nur Yılmaz, Nazlı Baltacı, ve Mihriban Ulucan. 2026. “The Determination of the Relationship Social Stigma and Infertility Distress in Infertile Women”. Ordu Üniversitesi Hemşirelik Çalışmaları Dergisi 9 (2): 232-41. https://doi.org/10.38108/ouhcd.1513500.
EndNote Doğan Yüksekol Ö, Yılmaz AN, Baltacı N, Ulucan M (01 Mart 2026) The Determination of the Relationship Social Stigma and Infertility Distress in Infertile Women. Ordu Üniversitesi Hemşirelik Çalışmaları Dergisi 9 2 232–241.
IEEE [1]Ö. Doğan Yüksekol, A. N. Yılmaz, N. Baltacı, ve M. Ulucan, “The Determination of the Relationship Social Stigma and Infertility Distress in Infertile Women”, Ordu University J Nurs Stud, c. 9, sy 2, ss. 232–241, Mar. 2026, doi: 10.38108/ouhcd.1513500.
ISNAD Doğan Yüksekol, Özlem - Yılmaz, Ayşe Nur - Baltacı, Nazlı - Ulucan, Mihriban. “The Determination of the Relationship Social Stigma and Infertility Distress in Infertile Women”. Ordu Üniversitesi Hemşirelik Çalışmaları Dergisi 9/2 (01 Mart 2026): 232-241. https://doi.org/10.38108/ouhcd.1513500.
JAMA 1.Doğan Yüksekol Ö, Yılmaz AN, Baltacı N, Ulucan M. The Determination of the Relationship Social Stigma and Infertility Distress in Infertile Women. Ordu University J Nurs Stud. 2026;9:232–241.
MLA Doğan Yüksekol, Özlem, vd. “The Determination of the Relationship Social Stigma and Infertility Distress in Infertile Women”. Ordu Üniversitesi Hemşirelik Çalışmaları Dergisi, c. 9, sy 2, Mart 2026, ss. 232-41, doi:10.38108/ouhcd.1513500.
Vancouver 1.Özlem Doğan Yüksekol, Ayşe Nur Yılmaz, Nazlı Baltacı, Mihriban Ulucan. The Determination of the Relationship Social Stigma and Infertility Distress in Infertile Women. Ordu University J Nurs Stud. 01 Mart 2026;9(2):232-41. doi:10.38108/ouhcd.1513500