title: The experiences of involuntarily childless Turkish immigrants in the Netherlands.
abstract: The consequences of involuntary childlessness are influenced by culture in several ways. In this study we explored the experiences and responses of infertile Turkish immigrants in the Netherlands. Twenty in-depth interviews were conducted with involuntarily childless Turkish immigrants in the Netherlands (11 couples and 9 women). Interviews were transcribed verbatim and were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). The respondents' experiences were clustered around six superordinate themes: effects on self; effects on the relationship with the partner; effects on the relationship with others; disclosure; coping; and the future. Most transcripts revealed that involuntary childlessness has a profound negative influence on multiple aspects of the lives of the respondents. Strong pronatalist ideology, misconceptions about infertility and treatment, and migration-related aspects such as language difficulties, appear to play a role in the negative experiences of Turkish immigrants. Respondents reported several ways of coping (to some extent) with these negative experiences.
authors.affiliation: Public Health Service of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Floor B
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: van Rooij
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: van Balen
authors.forename: Jo M A
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Hermanns
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants; D054541:Family Conflict; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000523:psychology*; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000523:psychology*; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands; D014421:Turkey / Q000208:ethnology; D055815:Young Adult