INTERFAMILIAL PROBLEMS AND MARITAL DISSATISFACTION AMONG FERTILE AND INFERTILE COUPLES

Abstract

: Infertility is a major reproductive health problem in the life of married couples, especially those living in a family system. According to the World Health Organization, there are currently 50–80 million infertile couples in the world. The present study is aimed to investigate family relations and marital dissatisfaction among infertile and fertile couples. Method: This cross-sectional comparative study was conducted from March to October 2015. A sample of 150 couples was taken from twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Index of family relations and Index of marital satisfaction were used to measure the study variables. Results: Infertile couples had low levels of marital satisfaction as compared to fertile couples. Infertile women had low marital satisfaction when compared with infertile men. The two groups had significant differences with respect to family relations. Conclusion: Infertile couples are more likely to reveal higher degree of marital dissatisfaction and confront more intra-familial stressors as compared to fertile couples.