1. SABITRI PRADHAN - Senior Tutor, SCB college of Nursing, SCBMCH, Cuttack, Mangalabag, Odisha.
2. ARATI MOHANTY - Senior Tutor, SCB college of Nursing, SCBMCH, Cuttack, Mangalabag, Odisha.
This exploratory study examined the psychosocial well-being and coping strategies among 50 women aged 20 to 45 years with primary infertility at the Obstetric and Gynecology OPD of SCB Medical College Hospital, Cuttack. Data was collected from February 10 to March 10, 2022, using a questionnaire on psychosocial issues designed with a 4-point Likert scale, along with the Multidimensional Coping Inventory Scale (Folkman and Lazarus, 1983), also rated on a 4-point Likert scale. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. Results showed that 62% of the participants were between 20-30 years old. Most (44%) were graduates, predominantly Hindu, with a small percentage (2%) identifying as Muslim. A large portion (82%) were homemakers, while 18% held jobs. The majority (58%) belonged to the lower middleincome group, with 42% in the upper middle-income group, and none in the high-income category. The highest proportion of women with primary infertility resided in rural areas, with 42% married for 4-7 years. Social support was available for 80% of these women, while 20% lacked support. About 52% had attended counseling 1-3 times, and 20% had attended over seven times. Thirteen percent had been in treatment for more than five years, while most had been under treatment for 1-2 years. The majority had moderate psychosocial issues, with 4% experiencing poor psychosocial well-being. The mean coping score was 79.24 with a standard deviation of 10.908. Approximately 70% had average coping abilities, while 30% had poor coping abilities. A chi-square analysis indicated a significant association between years of marriage and psychosocial variables (p ≤ 0.0001). An unpaired t-test further showed a significant difference in coping strategies based on years of marriage, with a calculated value of 5.9.
Psychosocial Well-Being, Coping Strategies, Primary Infertility, Women.