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. 2018 Jun 19;16(1):129.
doi: 10.1186/s12955-018-0956-1.

Prevalence of generalized anxiety disorder and its related factors among infertile patients in Iran: a cross-sectional study

Reza Omani-Samani  1 , Azadeh Ghaheri  1 , Behnaz Navid  1 , Mahdi Sepidarkish  1 , Saman Maroufizadeh  2
Affiliations

Prevalence of generalized anxiety disorder and its related factors among infertile patients in Iran: a cross-sectional study

Reza Omani-Samani et al. Health Qual Life Outcomes. .

Abstract

Background: Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is one of the most prevalent anxiety disorders among infertile patients. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of GAD and its associated factors among infertile patients in Tehran, Iran.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 1146 infertile patients in a referral fertility center in Tehran, Iran between May and October 2017. GAD was measured using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scale. The associations between GAD and demographic/fertility characteristics were estimated using simple and multiple logistic regression with odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI).

Results: The mean total GAD-7 score was 6.61 (SD = 5.32). Using a cut-off value of 10, the prevalence of GAD was 28.3%. In adjusted analysis, female sex (OR = 2.54, 95% CI = 1.88-3.42, P < 0.001), low educational level (OR = 1.45, 95% CI = 1.08-1.94, P = 0.012), high infertility duration (OR = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.01-1.09, P = 0.013), and treatment failure (OR = 1.52, 95% CI = 1.13-2.04, P = 0.006) were associated with GAD.

Conclusions: The prevalence of GAD is relatively high in infertile patients. We conclude that all infertile patients should be screened for symptoms of GAD and treated for this disorder as need arises.

Keywords: Generalized anxiety disorder; Infertility; Iran; Prevalence.

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Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

The Ethics Committee of Royan Institute, Tehran, Iran, approved this study. Agreement to participate and a signed consent form were obtained from all infertile couples before data collection.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The distribution of age in both men and women
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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