title: The effect of an expressive writing intervention (EWI) on stress in infertile couples undergoing assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment: a randomized controlled pilot study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Infertile couples undergoing fertility treatments may experience stress and could benefit from psychological intervention. Expressive Writing Intervention (EWI) has shown promising results on various psychological outcomes, yet only one study has applied the method to infertility-related stress. Our aim was to assess feasibility and effectiveness of EWI for patients in treatment with Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART).
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients enrolling in their first ART treatment at the fertility clinic, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark were offered to participate. A total of 82 participants (45 women, 37 men), mean age: 33.17, were randomized to home-based EWI or neutral writing control group and completed an infertility-related stress questionnaire at treatment enrollment, 3 weeks later (at the time of down regulation), and 6 weeks after the intervention. The intervention took place 2 weeks after treatment start.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mixed between-within ANOVA showed a main effect of time (Wilks Lambda = 0.68, F(2,28) = 6.48) as well as a significant interaction effect between group (control/ EWI) and time (Wilks Lambda = 0.83, F(2,28) = 2.92). Infertility-related stress decreases were observed after the intervention in the EWI group compared to controls. Six weeks after the intervention, stress tended to increase in both groups, with the control group, follow-up stress levels exceeding baseline stress scores, whereas the follow-up scores of EWI-participants' did not exceed baseline levels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our preliminary results suggest EWI to be a feasible, cost-effective, and efficient method for alleviating infertility-related stress, although results should be considered preliminary and further testing with a larger sample is warranted.
authors: Department of Psychology, Aarhus University, Denmark. signem@psy.au.dk
authors: Signe
authors: S
authors: Matthiesen
authors: Hillary
authors: H
authors: Klonoff-Cohen
authors: Robert
authors: R
authors: Zachariae
authors: Mikael B
authors: MB
authors: Jensen-Johansen
authors: Berit K
authors: BK
authors: Nielsen
authors: Yoon
authors: Y
authors: Frederiksen
authors: Lone
authors: L
authors: Schmidt
authors: Hans Jakob
authors: HJ
authors: Ingerslev
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007246:Infertility / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D027724:Reproductive Techniques, Assisted / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014956:Writing