Group Logotherapy for Psychological Well-Being in Infertile Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Infertility can adversely affect psychological well-being and impose substantial emotional and existential challenges on women undergoing infertility-related care. Psychological interventions that address meaning, responsibility, choice, and adaptation to difficult life circumstances may provide an additional approach to supporting psychological well-being. This study evaluated the effectiveness of group logotherapy in improving psychological well-being among infertile women.

68 infertile women were randomized to a group logotherapy intervention (n=34) or a control group (n=34). Eight participants discontinued participation after baseline and before attending any intervention session, including four participants from each group. Thus, 60 participants (30 per group) completed all three assessments and were included in the complete-case analysis. The intervention consisted of eight weekly group logotherapy sessions, including one face-to-face session followed by seven online sessions. Psychological well-being was assessed at baseline, immediately after the intervention, and two months later using the 18-item Ryff Psychological Well-Being Scale. Repeated-measures analysis of variance was performed, with Greenhouse-Geisser correction when required. The group-by-time interaction was considered the primary test of differential change between groups. Bonferroni adjustment was applied to the six subscale interaction tests.

A significant group-by-time interaction was observed for overall psychological well-being, F(1.692,98.151)=533.156, P<0.001, partial η²=0.902. Significant group-by-time interactions were also observed for self-acceptance, F(1.985,115.132)=135.974, P<0.001, partial η²=0.701; environmental mastery, F(1.854,107.535)=168.697, P<0.001, partial η²=0.744; personal growth, F(1.998,115.863)=129.569, P<0.001, partial η²=0.691; and purpose in life, F(1.836,106.462)=307.461, P<0.001, partial η²=0.841. No significant group-by-time interaction was observed for autonomy, F(1.894,109.881)=2.490, P=0.091, partial η²=0.041, or positive relations, F(1.935,112.230)=0.586, P=0.553, partial η²=0.010.

Group logotherapy was associated with significant improvements in overall psychological well-being and four of its six dimensions among infertile women. These findings provide preliminary evidence supporting group logotherapy as a potentially useful psychological intervention in infertility care. However, the complete-case analysis, early attrition, inactive control condition, hybrid delivery format, and relatively short follow-up warrant cautious interpretation and confirmation in larger randomized trials.

The trial was prospectively registered with the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials under registration number IRCT20240514061791N1 on August 14, 2024, before participant recruitment and enrollment commenced.