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Appraisal, coping, and emotional health of infertile couples undergoing donor artificial insemination
T W Prattke1, K A Gass-Sternas
1Rutgers--The State University of New Jersey, College of Nursing, Newark 07102.
Objectives:
To describe differences between wives and husbands undergoing donor artificial insemination (AID), in terms of stress level, factors contributing to the stress of AID, cognitive appraisal of AID, ways of coping, and emotional health.
Design:
Descriptive correlational.
Setting:
A gynecology-endocrinology clinic at a university hospital and a private infertility practice in the midwestern United States.
Participants:
Forty wives and thirty-five husbands participating in AID.
Main Outcome Measures:
Perceived level of stress, factors contributing to the stress of AID, appraisal of AID, revised ways of coping, and profile of mood states.
Results:
Wives had greater stress levels, used more ways of coping, and more often appraised AID as a harm-loss, threat, or challenge. Husbands more often appraised AID as a beneficial experience. Individuals who appraised AID differently differed in emotional health and levels of stress.
Conclusions:
Investigations into the relationships among stress levels, stressors, appraisal, coping, situational factors, and emotional health will help nurses understand how these factors affect the health of couples undergoing AID.