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Study question May specific psychological variables related to the experience of infertility have a predicting effect over the decision of accepting counselling? Summary answer Specific infertility related sources of sufferance including low levels of infertility self-efficacy and poor quality of life significantly predict the request for professional help. What is known already Available data on the access to infertility counselling services suggest that only 10–34% of patients who are offered such opportunity actually pursue it. Qualitative studies pointed out that this might be due to a lack of information about available support and to negative attitudes toward counselling. It seems also that women and men who accept counselling have worse levels of psychological distress. However, there is a lack of quantitative studies on the topic and among those available none used measures that are specific to the experience of infertility itself Study design, size, duration The data presented herein are part of a larger data collection promoted by the Italian Ministry of Health on the psychological impact of assisted reproduction. The present study is a cross-sectional research and involves a sample of 184 patients, composed by 92 women waiting for infertility treatment and their partners, enrolled between October 2019 and October 2020 at the Infertility and IVF Unit of the S. Orsola University Hospital in Bologna, Italy. Participants/materials, setting, methods Participants were voluntarily enrolled in the study at their first medical consult. They were informed about the possibility to attend free couples infertility counselling sessions and asked to fill in the following questionnaires: Infertility Self-Efficacy Scale (ISE); Fertility Quality of Life (FERTIQoL); Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS). To attend infertility counselling a shared agreement between partners was requested. Couples who agreed to the study but not to counselling sessions were provided only with questionnaires. Main results and the role of chance The 34.8% (n = 32 couples) of the sample accepted to receive counselling sessions. The two groups (counselling vs no-counselling) were comparable in all socio-demographic variables, aside for education, with higher education levels in the counselling group. Overall, the counselling group reported greater psychological sufferance than the no-counselling group, with lower scores at the ISE, FERTIQoL, and DAS questionnaires. Regarding which factors predicted the decision to attend counselling sessions, logistic regression analysis showed that: for the female partner’s dimensions low scores at the ISE and at the Emotional subscale of the FertiQoL were predictive of accepting counselling (when scores increased the odds of being in the counselling group would decrease by 46% and 8% respectively); for the male’s partner dimensions, predictive factors were low scores on the Social subscale and high scores on the Relational subscale of the FertiQoL (when scores increased the odds of being in the counselling group would decrease by 8% and increase by 10% respectively). In conclusion, impairments in self-efficacy, emotional well-being and social life may drive a greater need for help, but a close relationship with the partner may be also necessary to predispose men to accept couples infertility counselling. Limitations, reasons for caution Data were collected from a well enough homogeneous sample which may have helped in better enhancing the specificity of infertile couples’ needs. However, the small sample size and the fact that data were collected from a sole Italian clinic may impact the representativity of our results. Wider implications of the findings: Findings provide important information for clinical interventions with infertile couples. Patients accepting counselling might be having a worse adjustment to the experience of infertility. Besides, women and men may be affected in different ways. Men’s closeness to the partner might be a favourable factor and should be further studied. Trial registration number The study was approved by the Ethical Committee of the S. Orsola Hospital, University of Bologna (CE: 273/2018/Sper/AOUBO) and funded by the Italian Ministry of Health (J33C17000560001)

This study investigates on the relationship between affect-related psychological variables and Body Mass Index (BMI). We have utilized a novel method based on machine learning (ML) algorithms that forecast unobserved BMI values based on psychological variables, like depression, as predictors. We have employed various machine learning algorithms, including gradient boosting and random forest, with psychological variables relative to 221 subjects to predict both the BMI values and the BMI status (normal, overweight, and obese) of those subjects. We have found that the psychological variables in use allow one to predict both the BMI values (with a mean absolute error of 5.27–5.50) and the BMI status with an accuracy of over 80% (metric: F1-score). Further, our study has also confirmed the particular efficacy of psychological variables of negative type, such as depression for example, compared to positive ones, to achieve excellent predictive BMI values.

Aim of this study was to investigate whether parental mental representations during pregnancy and after delivery differed between parents who conceived after Assisted Reproductive Treatments (ART) and spontaneous conceiving (SC) parents. Effects of specific ART variables (previous ART attempts, treatment type and cause of infertility) were also taken into account. Seventeen ART couples and 25 SC couples were recruited at Santa Maria Nuova Hospital (Reggio Emilia, Italy). At both 32 weeks of gestation (T1) and 3 months postpartum (T2) participants completed the Semantic Differential of the IRMAG, a self-report tool which measures specific domains of mental representations pertaining either individual (Child, Self-as-woman/man, and Partner) or parental (Self-as-parent, Own parent) characteristics. Results showed that ART parents had significantly more positive representations of the child compared to SC parents, while the scores at Partner dimension improved from T1 to T2 for SC parents only. With regards to ART history, scores at the Self-as-woman/man dimension were significantly less positive for ICSI than IVF parents and improved substantially from T1 to T2 only in case of mothers with previous ART attempts and of fathers at the first ART cycle. The representation of own parents increased from T1 to T2 in case of infertility diagnosis due to male factors, while a decrease emerged when infertility was due to female factors. Findings suggest the need to investigate parental mental representations after ART, in order to improve the understanding on the transition to parenthood of infertile couples and to target more specific intervention for parenting support.

Objective To examine the magnitude and the predictors of emotional reactions to an infertility diagnosis, comparing women and men who were clinically diagnosed with an anatomical cause of infertility or non-anatomical cause of infertility. Study design Cross-sectional study involving a total of 133 adults waiting for infertility treatment at the IVF and Infertility Unit of the S. Orsola University Hospital in Bologna (Italy). Of these, 107 patients (55 with anatomical causes of infertility and 52 with non-anatomical causes of infertility; response rate: 80%) took part to the study. After providing informed written consent, each participant was asked to complete the Infertility Self-efficacy Scale, the Fertility Quality of Life, and the Brief Coping Orientation to Problem Experienced, which they returned at their second access to the Unit. Differences between the groups were analyzed through a series of univariate ANOVA, whereas a multiple regression analysis was used to jointly examine the predictors of fertility quality of life. Results Results showed both gender related and diagnosis related differences. Women had statistically significant lower scores than men on the Infertility Self-Efficacy Scale and on the global, emotional, and mind–body subscales of the Fertility Quality of Life, while they scored significantly higher on the emotion focused and socially supported subscales of the Coping Orientation to Problem Experienced. Independently of gender, patients with non-anatomical causes of infertility scored poorly than patients with anatomical causes of infertility on the relational subscale of the Fertility Quality of Life and on the Avoidant scale of the Brief Coping Orientation to Problem Experienced. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that higher levels of self-efficacy and a lower use of avoidant coping strategies predicted a more positive quality of life over and above gender and cause of infertility. Conclusion This study partly confirms data on gender differences in experiencing the psychological burden of infertility and adds some new information, particularly with respect to the prediction of quality of life indicators over and above infertility cause.

The present study aims to investigate the outcomes of the Focal Play Therapy with Children and Parents (FPT-CP) in terms of parent&ndash, therapist alliance, parent&ndash, child interactions, and parenting stress. Thirty parental couples (N = 60, 30 mothers and 30 fathers) and their children presenting behavioral, evacuation and eating disorders took part to the study. Through a multi-method longitudinal approach, data were collected at two time points (first and seventh sessions) marking the first phase of the intervention specifically aimed to build the alliance with parents, a crucial variable for the remission of the child&rsquo, s symptoms (and to the assessment of the child&rsquo, s symptoms within family dynamics.) Therapeutic alliance was assessed by the Working Alliance Inventory by therapists and parents. Parent&ndash, child interactions and parenting stress were evaluated using the Emotional Availability Scales and the Parenting Stress Index, respectively. Results showed that a positive parent&ndash, therapist alliance was developed and maintained during the first seven sessions. Furthermore, parent&ndash, child interactions significantly improved on both parents&rsquo, and child&rsquo, s dimensions. However, parenting stress levels remained unchanged between the two time points. The findings should enrich scientific knowledge about the role of parental engagement in preschool child-focused treatments as to better inform practice and improve the quality of care for children and their families.

This study aims to describe parents&rsquo, and infant&rsquo, s interactive styles after assisted reproduction treatments (ART), to compare them with parent&ndash, infant interactions after spontaneous conception (SC), and to assess the effect of specific ART variables (cause of infertility, treatment type, and previous ART attempts) on interaction quality. The sample included 25 ART conceiving couples and 31 SC couples with their 3-months-old babies. Free parent&ndash, infant interactions (3&ndash, 5 min) were coded using the CARE-Index, a video-based assessment scale that gives both dimensional (e.g., sensitivity, control, passivity) and categorical scores (sensitive, inept, at-risk) for parents and infants. Results showed a global similarity between groups in CARE-Index dimensions. Nevertheless, differences emerged in categorical scores, as the interactive patterns of ART parents were more frequently classified as &ldquo, inept&rdquo, and &ldquo, at-risk&rdquo, compared to SC parents. With regards to ART dyads only, infants conceived through intracytoplasmic sperm injection scored significantly lower to the dimension compulsivity and higher to passivity, compared to infants conceived through in vitro fertilization. Yet, infants conceived at the first ART cycle had significantly lower levels of difficulty than infants conceived after one ART attempt. These results speak about the existence of important parent&ndash, infant interactive differences related to conception modality and ART technique and suggest the need to implement support programs to promote more sensitive parenting styles.

Purpose: Quality of life (QoL) may represent a comprehensive indicator for the assessment of the psychological impact of complex clinical conditions, such as infertility. Infertile women have a worse QoL compared to both infertile men and non-infertile controls. However, the initial phases of infertility treatments have been frequently investigated using cross-sectional study designs. This prospective longitudinal study aimed at assessing the health-related QoL change across different phases of assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatments in subfertile women and men. Methods: Eighty-five subfertile women and men undergoing ART cycles were assessed at the beginning of the ovarian stimulation, during oocyte retrieval before discharging, and around 14 days after the embryo transfer. QoL was assessed through the Short Form 36. Results: Irrespective of the cause of infertility, work status, and age, QoL levels decreased from the first to the third assessment, and women scored significantly lower than men to each QoL indicator. Additionally, a higher number of previous ART failures had a negative impact on QoL, irrespective of gender and the phase of treatment. ART outcome marginally affected women’s QoL across time. Conclusion: Infertile women have a worse QoL throughout all phases of ARTs compared to men, and this difference increases in infertile patients with more than one previous ART failure.

Introduction: The present study aims to investigate the effects of previous reproductive outcomes on the levels of depression, anxiety and perceived social support in subfertile women who conceived after in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment. Methods: A prospective cohort study was developed. Data were collected on subfertile patients who conceived after IVF/ICSI treatment. All demographic and clinical data were recorded. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Y and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support at 22 and 32 weeks of gestation and 15 days after delivery were completed. Data were analyzed comparing patients who conceived at their first IVF/ICSI cycle, after one unsuccessful ARTs cycle, and after multiple unsuccessful IVF/ICSI cycles. Results: A significant increase in state anxiety and depression scores from 22 gestational weeks of gestation to 15 days after delivery was observed in patients who received multiple unsuccessful IVF/ICSI cycles compared with other groups. No significant difference in perceived social support was detected among groups. The differences in depression and anxiety scores remained consistent after controlling for perceived social support. Discussion: A history of unsuccessful IVF/ICSI treatments seems to leave women more vulnerable in facing the duties of the new parental role. Such possibility underlies the importance of the availability of a psychological support for these women, even after a successful medical treatment for infertility.

Obesity has become an increasingly widespread endemic with social implications; however, the relationship between higher body mass index (BMI) and psychological functioning is still not fully understood. This study examined the differences in affect-related psychological variables among BMI classes. A total of 134 adults seeking treatment for obesity and 124 controls completed a set of questionnaires to assess: trait emotional intelligence, emotion regulation strategies, anxiety, depression, binge eating behaviors and happiness. Correlations and multivariate analysis of variance were run per each study variable controlling for BMI class (normal weight, overweight, or obesity class I, II, III). Individuals with obesity class III were characterized by reduced trait emotional intelligence and happiness, and a higher tendency to use emotion suppression compared to normal weight individuals. All individuals with obesity also showed higher levels of depression and binge eating behaviors compared to both normal weight and overweight adults. Depression and emotion suppression were the most relevant discriminant factors across BMI classes, while trait emotional intelligence resulted as an important psychological factor clustering individual differences between obese and non-obese individuals. These results suggest that more attention to the affective domain of psychological functioning is needed for proper and comprehensive treatment of obesity.

This study explored the influence of both assisted reproductive technology (ART) and reduced quality of life (QoL) during pregnancy on postpartum blues (PPB). Sixty-three sub-fertile patients who conceived through ART and 72 women who naturally conceived were enrolled in this prospective study. At 22nd and 32nd gestational weeks, women completed the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and the Short-Form 36 (SF-36), to investigate depressive symptoms and QoL, respectively; EPDS was again used at 15 days after birth to assess PPB. At both time points, higher EPDS scores and lower mental well-being scores (SF-36) significantly predicted PPB. The number of previous ART cycles emerged as the strongest predictor, whereas no significant effect was observed for the conceiving method. The results suggest the usefulness of assessing QoL during pregnancy and considering previous ART failures in preventing PPB.

This study examined the relationship between trait emotional intelligence (trait EI) and somatic complaints after controlling for positive and negative affect (PA and NA). 362 volunteers (222 males) completed the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Short Form (TEIQue-SF), the Somatic Complaint List (SCL), and the Positive Affect and Negative Affect Scales (PANAS). Results showed that high trait EI is positively correlated to PA and negatively correlated to NA and somatic complaints, but that it can predict somatic complaints over and above PA and NA. These findings highlight the protective role of trait EI in mental and physical health.