[Unfulfilled desire for a child--coping strategies of involuntarily childless women and men].
OBJECTIVE
We analyzed whether coping strategies vary depending on gender and sterility diagnosis.


METHODS
We investigated 110 couples using the "Freiburg Questionnaire of Coping with Illness" by Muthny [14]. The questionnaire consists of 5 analytic scales, covering one coping-strategy each: F1: depressive coping; F2: problem-faced coping; F3: diversion and building-oneself-up; F4: religion and sense-seeking; F5: trivialization and wishful thinking.


RESULTS
Women with unfulfilled child-wish score lower than the group of chronically sick only on the scale "religion and sense-seeking", whereas involuntarily childless men activate all coping strategies to a lesser extent than the standardized collective. Compared to their partners, women score higher on the scales "depressive coping" and "diversion and building-oneself-up".


CONCLUSIONS
Gender and sex-role expectations related to it influence the experience of infertility.
Kowalcek
I
I
Universitäts-Frauenklinik Lübeck.
Wihstutz
N
N
Buhrow
G
G
Diedrich
K
K
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D007246:Infertility / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics; D012494:Sampling Studies; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*