Determining the Effect of Existential Group Therapy on Infertility Stress in Infertile Men's Spouses

Infertility creates a crisis in people's lives that can have many psychological consequences. One of these consequences is infertility stress. Infertile men's spouses are as stressed as infertile women in many areas.Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of existential group therapy on infertility stress in infertile men's spouses. This clinical trial was conducted in ۲۰۲۱-۲۰۲۲ in Shahrood city on ۹۶ women who had primary infertility, and the cause of their infertility was their husbands. People were randomly divided into two intervention and control groups with blocks. Eight existential group therapy sessions were conducted for the intervention group before and after the intervention completed the two groups' demographic information questionnaire and infertility stress questionnaire. The data was entered into SPSS version ۲۵ and subjected to statistical analysis.Results: The total score and standard deviation of infertility stress before the intervention in the wives of infertile men in the intervention group was ۲۰۰.۷۱ ± ۲۸.۱۱ and the control group ۱۹۳.۲۱ ± ۱۹.۵۱, and after the intervention, in the intervention group ۱۵۴.۹۵ ± ۲۵.۹۴ and the control group The control was ۱۹۰.۰۲ ± ۲۵.۹۱, and by using the comparison test of the average of two independent communities, the average stress before the intervention in the two groups does not have a significant difference, but the standard after the intervention in the two groups has a statistically significant difference (p< ۰.۰۰۱).Conclusion: Existential group therapy counseling can be used as an effective method to reduce the stress of infertility in infertility treatment centers and in the family courts of couples who intend to divorce.

Keywords:

Stress , Existentialism , Infertility , Men.