Sociodemographic factors in mental disorders associated with infertility in Nigeria

The mental status of 37 female patients with infertility and that of 37 healthy controls was evaluated using General Health Questionnaire, Present State Examination, and clinical assessment. An interview schedule, designed to elicit information on sociodemographic, psychiatric predisposing, and obstetric factors, was also administered. A significantly higher proportion (29.7%) of the patients was found to have diagnosable psychopathology, mainly depressive episode and generalized anxiety disorder. Compared with the control group, the infertile women experienced poorer marital relationships, had a significant family history of infertility, were more negatively predisposed to child adoption. and had a greater history of surgery and induced abortion. Polygamy was found to have a close association with psychopathology in the sample of infertile women. The implications of these findings and ways of improving the mental status of the infertile woman are discussed.