Gender differences in affect, emotional maladjustment and adaptive resources in infertile couples: a positive approach

Abstract

This research study seeks to assess positive affect, negative affect, emotional maladjustment, adaptative resources in infertily and gender-related differences in infertile couples. The sample consisted of 101 people with infertility problems, 51 men and 50 women. The assessment instruments were the Positive Affect Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS; Watson, Clark & Tellegen, 1988) and the Cuestionario de Desajuste Emocional y Recursos Adaptativos en Infertilidad (DERA; Moreno-Rosset, Antequera & Jenaro, 2008), a scale measuring emotional maladjustment and adaptive resources in infertility. The findings show gender related differences with higher negative affect and emotional maladjustment in women and higher positive affect in men. It has also been found that positive affect correlates negatively both with negative affect and emotional maladjustment, and positively with interpersonal resources and adaptative resources in infertile women. Such correlations have not been found in men. The regression analysis indicates that the variables can help predict positive affect in women and account for 42.2% of variance. This study has sought to widen infertility assessment by including positive variables such as adaptative resources and positive affect in the analysis, which can offer a better approach to the psychological treatment of infertile couples.