Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access
Open Access Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Restricted Access Subscription Access

A Study of Personality Dimensions among Infertile Females and Females with Children


Affiliations
1 Department of Psychology, G.C.W., Gandhinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, India
2 Department of Psychology, University of Jammu, Jammu & Kashmir, India
     

   Subscribe/Renew Journal


The stigma of childlessness is so great that infertile women are socially isolated and neglected. This article focuses on the women's experience with childlessness and its effect on their personality. This study includes 80 infertile females and 80 females with children (mothers). They were examined using Eysenck's personality questionnaire-R (EPQ-R). The effect of infertility (independent variables) was seen on the personality dimensions (dependent variable). Significant difference exists between infertile females and females with children in case of the psycoticism, neuroticism and extraversion as the personality dimension. These results show that infertile females are high on psycoticism and neuroticism and low on extraversion than females with children. For the childless females, the infertility or involuntary childlessness is the worst thing that could happen and is seen as the major life crises.

Keywords

Personality Dimensions, Social Isolation, Neglect, Infertile Females.
User
Subscription Login to verify subscription
Notifications
Font Size

  • Bernstein, J. (1999). Infertility: From a personal to a public health problem. Public Health Reports, 114(6), 494-504.
  • Bharadwaj, A. (2002). Culture, infertility and gender vignettes from South Asia and NorthAfrica. Sexual Health Exchange, 2, 14-15.
  • Borse, A. S., & Borse, K. (1998). Some personality traits of childless couple. Paper presented at National conference of Indian Academy of Applied Psychology Chennai,Dec.
  • Chandane, D., & Kulkarni, S. (2002). Correlates of childlessness in Maharashtra, Consequences and coping strategies among treatment seeking infertile women in Nagpur http://www.icinfertilitygoa2002.net/conf/abstracts.html 54-7.
  • Chandane, D., & Kulkarni, S. (2002). Correlates of childlessness in Maharashtra, consequences and coping strategies among treatment seeking infertile women in Nagpur. http://www.icinfertilitygoa2002.net/conf/abstracts.html 54-7.
  • Dhaliwal, K., Gopalan, S., & Kulhara, P. (2004). Psychological aspects of infertility due to various causes prospective study. International Journal of Fertility and Women's Medicine, 49(1), 44-48.
  • Domar,A.,Zuttermeister, C, & Friedman, R. (1992). The prevalence and predictability of depression in infertile women. Fertility Sterility, 55(6), 1158-1163.
  • Dyer, S.I, Abrahams, N., Hoffman, M., & Van der spuy, Z.M. (2002). Men leave me as I cannot have children: Women's experiences with involuntary childlessness. Human Reproduction, 77(6), 1663-1668.
  • Eysenck, H. J. (1964). The measurement of personality: A new inventory. Indian Academy of Applied Psychology, 7(1), 1-11.
  • Eysenck, H. J. (1982). Personality, genetics and behaviour selected papers. New York: Praeger
  • Eysenk,H. J. (1976). The measurement of personality. University park press: Baltimore.
  • Eysenk, H. J., & Eysenck, M. W. (1985). Personality and individual difference a natural science approach. Plenum Press: London.
  • Fassino, S., Piero, A., Boggio, S., Piccioni, V., Garzaro, L. (2002). Anxiety, depression and anger suppression in infertile couples: Controlled study. Human Reproduction, 7 7(11), 2986-2994.
  • Horton, R. (1993). Fertility rights and wrongs. Lancer, 342(8862) 45-54.
  • Kedem, P., Mikulincer, M., Nathanson, E., &Bartoou, B. (1990). Psychological aspects of male infertility. Journal of Medical Psychology, 63(Pt 1), 73-80.
  • Kowalcek, I., Wishtutz, N., & Diedrich, K. (2001). Subjective well-being in infertile couples. JournalofPsychosom ObstetGynaecol, 22(3), 143-148.
  • Reinharz, S. (1987). The social psychology of a miscarriage: An application of symbolic interaction theory and method. In M. Deegan and M. Hill (Eds.), Women and symbolic interaction (pp. 200-215). Boston: Allen andUnwin.
  • Reza, K., Akhondi, M., & Behjati, Z. (2002). http://wwwicinfertilitygoa2002.net/conf/abstracts.html S6-3.
  • Seible, M. M., & Taymor, M. L. (1982). Emotional aspects of infertility. Fertility Sterility, 37(2), 137-145.
  • Verhaak, M., Smeenk, J., Minnch, V, Kremer, A., & Kraaimalt, W. (2005). A longitudinal. prospective study on emotional adjustment before, during and after consecutive fertility treatraentcycies. Journal of Human Reproduction, 20(8), 2253-2260.
  • Wright, J., Duchesne, C, & Sabourin, S. (1991). Psychological distress and infertile: Men and women respond differently. Fertility Sterility, 55( 1), 100-108.
  • Zoldbrod,A. (1993). Men, women and infertility: Intervention and treatment strategies. New York: Lexington Books.

Abstract Views: 330

PDF Views: 0




  • A Study of Personality Dimensions among Infertile Females and Females with Children

Abstract Views: 330  |  PDF Views: 0

Authors

Manisha Kohli
Department of Psychology, G.C.W., Gandhinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, India
Arti Bakhshi
Department of Psychology, University of Jammu, Jammu & Kashmir, India

Abstract


The stigma of childlessness is so great that infertile women are socially isolated and neglected. This article focuses on the women's experience with childlessness and its effect on their personality. This study includes 80 infertile females and 80 females with children (mothers). They were examined using Eysenck's personality questionnaire-R (EPQ-R). The effect of infertility (independent variables) was seen on the personality dimensions (dependent variable). Significant difference exists between infertile females and females with children in case of the psycoticism, neuroticism and extraversion as the personality dimension. These results show that infertile females are high on psycoticism and neuroticism and low on extraversion than females with children. For the childless females, the infertility or involuntary childlessness is the worst thing that could happen and is seen as the major life crises.

Keywords


Personality Dimensions, Social Isolation, Neglect, Infertile Females.

References