[Unfulfilled desire for children in the man: coping and pain. Results of a psychosomatic-andrologic cooperative study].
115 andrological patients were studied with psychological self-assessment tests to assess both their motivation concerning parenthood, and their own explanations for the causes. Additionally self-esteem was evaluated in 51 patients. The main results were: Motivation concerning parenthood is of greater importance in coping with involuntary childlessness than objective andrological data. Patients assess their situation quite realistically; no tendency to misinterpret the medical data in order to defend negative feelings and to protect self-esteem could be found. Most patients with reduced fertility consider this situation a challenge and are willing to mobilize resources and the help of others in order to cope. Self-esteem was only threatened in those patients with longlasting unvoluntary childlessness and little acceptance of medical infertility treatment and parenting substitutes, e.g. adopting a child.
Schilling
S
S
Psychosomatische Klinik, Universität, Heidelberg.
Küchenhoff
J
J
Könnecke
R
R
Tilgen
W
W
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000523:psychology; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000523:psychology*; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D009289:Narcissism; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D010348:Patient Care Team; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011602:Psychophysiologic Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D012099:Reproductive Techniques / Q000523:psychology; D012649:Self Concept