The association between female partner dyadic adjustment and stress following IVF: the moderating effects of romantic attachment

Abstract

Considered a deeply personal and challenging experience, infertility affects numerous individuals and couples worldwide. Previous research has suggested a relationship between dyadic adjustment, romantic attachment, and levels of infertilityrelated and general stress among couples undergoing IVF procedures. The present prospective longitudinal study aimed to investigate whether women’s subjective perception of their couple’s dyadic adjustment prior to undergoing IVF procedures is associated with infertility-related stress and general stress. Furthermore, the study explores the moderating effects of dyadic adjustment and romantic attachment style on the impact of IVF outcome, infertility-related stress, and general stress. A total of 42 Romanian women diagnosed with infertility in committed relationships completed the ECR-short version, DAS-32, FertyQal, and GHQ-12 at two time points, before and after their IVF cycles. The results suggest a statistically non-significant negative correlation between dyadic adjustment and infertility-related stress (r = -.14, p = .18) and a statistically significant weak positive correlation with general stress (r = .27, p = .04). The results of the multiple regression analysis reported that anxious attachment style at T1 is significantly associated with general stress at T2 (β =.82, p <.001), controlling for pregnancy status. Non-statistically significant correlations were found between infertility-related stress, general stress, and IVF outcome. Clinicians should consider clients’ attachment style and relational dynamics when adopting personalised interventions to meet individual needs effectively.