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. 2022 Feb 22:15:391-403.
doi: 10.2147/PRBM.S354803. eCollection 2022.

Psychological Resilience as the Mediating Factor Between Stigma and Social Avoidance and Distress of Infertility Patients in China: A Structural Equation Modeling Analysis

Qing Zhao #  1 , Chaoji Huangfu #  2 , Junzheng Li  2 , Huihui Liu  1 , Nan Tang  1
Affiliations

Psychological Resilience as the Mediating Factor Between Stigma and Social Avoidance and Distress of Infertility Patients in China: A Structural Equation Modeling Analysis

Qing Zhao et al. Psychol Res Behav Manag. .

Abstract

Background: Stigma, social avoidance and distress may seriously affect the quality of life of infertility patients. Psychological resilience has been proved to effectively combat psychological stress. This study aimed to explore the mediating role of psychological resilience between stigma and social avoidance and distress (SAD) in females with an unfulfilled wish for a child.

Methods: Stigma Scale, Social Avoidance and Distress Scale (SADS), and Psychological Resilience Scale were used to evaluate 266 females with infertility. Structural equation model was used to test the mediating effect of psychological resilience on the relationship between stigma and SAD.

Results: The SADS, stigma scores, and psychological resilience scores of 266 females with infertility were 13.36 ± 5.77, 77.84 ± 16.91, and 58.84 ± 12.24 points, respectively. The stigma scores were positively correlated with SADS, and negatively correlated with psychological resilience scores. The psychological resilience scores were negatively correlated with SADS. Psychological resilience played a partially mediating role between the stigma and SAD of infertility patients, and the mediating effect accounted for 25.5% of the total effect.

Conclusion: Psychological resilience had a partial mediating effect on the relationship between stigma and SAD, and could reduce the negative effect of stigma on the development of SADS. Therefore, positive psychological interventions improving psychological resilience might help to reduce stigma and improve SAD in infertility patients.

Keywords: infertility; mediating effect; psychological resilience; social avoidance and distress; stigma.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Correlation analysis between stigma and psychological resilience and SADS. (A) The correlation analysis between stigma and SADS; (B) the correlation analysis between psychological resilience and SADS.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mediating role of psychological resilience between stigma, social avoidance and distress. (A) Hypothesized mediation model (a, b, and c’ = unstandardized regression coefficients): indirect effect = a*b; direct effect = c′; total effect c = sum of indirect and direct effect = a*b + c’; (B) the structural equation model of the mediating role of psychological resilience between stigma, social avoidance and distress (X1: self-devaluation; X2: social withdrawal; X3: public stigma; X4: family stigma; Y1: tenacity dimension; Y2; self-strength dimension; Y3: optimism dimension Y4: social avoidance; Y5: social distress; ellipse: the latent variables; Rectangle: the observed variables; black arrow: the endogenous variable; SAD is the endogenous latent variable; stigma is the exogenous latent variable; resilience is the mediator variable; e1 and e2 are the equation error, and e3-e11 is the measure error).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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