title: Differences between husbands' and wives' approach to infertility affect marital communication and adjustment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To test a theoretical model of the effect on marital communication and adjustment of men's and women's approach to infertility.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional research design involving interviews, questionnaires, and a marital discussion task.
  
  
  METHODS
  Volunteers from practices of fertility specialists.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-eight couples currently seeking infertility treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  None.
  
  
  METHODS
  Quality of marital communication during a marital discussion task and effect of infertility on the marriage.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Having children was more important to wives than husbands; wives were more involved in trying to have a baby, wanted to talk with their partner more about trying to have a baby, and experienced a greater loss of self-esteem than did their husbands. To the extent that husbands saw having children as important, were involved in trying to have a baby, or wanted to talk with their wives about trying to have a baby, the quality of marital communication when discussing infertility was less negative, and in turn, wives perceived a more positive effect of infertility on their marriage.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Increases in husbands' interest and involvement in fertility treatment may lead to positive changes in couple communication about infertility and to a more positive effect of infertility on the marriage.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA. pasch@itsa.ucsf.edu
authors.forename: Lauri A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Pasch
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dunkel-Schetter
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Christensen
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D003142:Communication; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007246:Infertility / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D012727:Sex Characteristics