A Sectional Study: The Relationship between Perceived Social Support and Depression in Turkish Infertile Women

Studies conducted on infertile women in the literature investigated some features such as depression, anxiety, loneliness, and social support. However, there has been no study examining the relationship between levels of perceived social support and depression in infertile women. Considering this deficiency, the study was conducted to determine the relationship between perceived social support and depression in infertile women. The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between perceived social support and depression in infertile women.

This descriptive and sectional study was conducted between 16 April and 31 October 2012 in in vitro fertilisation (IVF) Centre of Fırat University Re- search Hospital. Sampling formula was used in cases when the number of elements in the population was not known to calculate minimum sample size required to be included in the study. A total of 238 women who applied to the relevant centre between the specified dates constituted the sample group of the study. A Questionnaire Form, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) were used to collect the data. A pilot study was carried out on nine infertile women. As a result of the pilot study, we formed the final version of the Questionnaire Form. The data of these nine women were not involved in the research. The data obtained from the study was assessed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS; SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) version 15.0. Percentage distribution, mean, t test, one-way analysis of variance (One-Way ANOVA), and Pearson correlation analysis were used to evaluate the data.

The women's total mean score on the BDI was 12.55 ± 8.07. Scores obtained by women on the MSPSS was 15.75 ± 8.53 for the subscale of friend, 21.52 ± 8.20 for the subscale of family, and 15.62 ± 8.45 for the subscale of significant others. The women's total MSPSS score was 52.89 ± 21.75.

A significant, negative relationship was found between total BDI score with subscale and total mean scores of MSPSS (r= -0.596, p<0.01). Symptoms of depression decreased as the women's perceived social support increased.