Relationship between emotional intelligence, quality of life, and infertility stigma in infertile woman: A descriptive-correlational study.

Abstract

Background: Infertility is one of the major crises in couples' lives, affecting both mental and physical health. One of the most significant consequences of infertility is stigma; moreover, emotional intelligence and women's coping style with these consequences can affect the quality of this disorder.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate emotional intelligence, infertility stigma, quality of life, and the relationship between these variables in infertile women.

Materials and methods: This descriptive-correlational study was conducted from April 2023 to February 2024 on 349 infertile women referred to "Hazrat Maryam Infertility Center in Shahid Beheshti hospital" and "Isfahan Fertility and Infertility Center" in Isfahan, Iran. Sampling was done using a convenience sampling method, and tools included 4 questionnaires, a demographic and midwifery information form, the quality of life questionnaire, the female-infertility-stigma-questionnaire, and the Schutte-Emotional-Intelligence scale.

Results: The results showed that the women's mean age was 35.08 $\pm$ 7.60 yr. The mean score for emotional intelligence was 109.06 $\pm$ 6.12, and the infertility stigma's was 56.1 $\pm$ 14.73. The results indicated a positive correlation between emotional intelligence and infertility stigma (r = 0.13, p $<$ 0.001). Only the mean score of social well-being and general health dimensions had a significant relationship with the total score of emotional intelligence (r = 0.037, p $<$ 0.02).

Conclusion: Infertile women have a lower quality of life and experience higher stigma. Since the quality of life and overall mental health affect the treatment process, also emotional intelligence plays an important role in human life, educational sessions and counseling should be considered in the treatment programs to improve the quality of life, thereby facilitating the treatment process with greater ease and speed.