[Correlation among coping style, social support, and negative emotion in infertile women]

To explore the correlation among coping style, social support, and negative emotion in Chinese infertile women.

A total of 211 infertile women was enrolled for this study. Participants completed questionnaires including Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS), Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire (SCSQ), Selfrating Anxiety Scale (SAS), and Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS).

The mean scores of the 2 dimensions of SCSQ for the infertile women were 20.18±5.43 (positive coping) and 10.19±3.83 (negative coping), respectively. The total mean score of SSRS was 38.95±6.87, and the mean score of 3 dimensions of SSRS were 22.63±4.15 (subjective support), 8.97±2.73 (objective support), and 7.35±1.87 (extent of using the support), respectively. The mean scores of SAS and SDS were 43.44±10.45 and 50.06±10.59, respectively. SAS scores were negatively correlated to the scores of positive coping, subjective support, objective support and extent of using the support (P<0.01) while positively correlated to the scores of negative coping (P<0.01). SDS score were negatively correlated to the scores of positive coping, subjective support, objective support, and extent of using the support (P<0.01). SEM analysis showed that positive coping had direct and positive effect on social support (β=0.49, P<0.01) while direct and negative effect on negative emotions (anxiety and depression, β=-0.27, P<0.01). Negative coping had direct and negative effect on social support (β=-0.21, P<0.01) while direct and positive effect on negative emotions (β=0.21, P<0.01). Positive coping and negative coping also had indirect effects on negative emotions through the pathway of social support, which had direct and negative effect on negative emotions (β=-0.21, P<0.01).

Coping styles have direct and indirect effects on negative emotions for the infertile women. As a mediator, social support regulates the relationship between coping styles and negative emotions. Using positive coping more frequently while using negative coping less frequently can alleviate the negative emotions of the infertile women through improving social support levels directly or indirectly.