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The Effect of Cognitive Behavioral Group Therapy on Infertility Stress, General Health, and Negative Cognitions: A Randomized Controlled Trial

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Abstract

This study determined the effect of a cognitive behavioral group therapy (CBGT) program administered to infertile women on infertility-related stress, depressive and anxious thoughts, and general health state. A randomized controlled design was used for this study. The study was conducted with 107 infertile women: 55 in the experimental group and 52 in the control group. The CBGT was administered to the experimental group for 11 weeks. The pretest, posttest, and trimester follow-up results of this group were compared with those of the control group. The experimental group’s Fertility Problem Inventory pretest mean score was 188.47 ± 30.699, posttest mean score was 135.84 ± 22.571, and follow-up mean score was 140.61 ± 20.16. A statistically significant difference was found between the experimental and control groups’ pretest, posttest, and follow-up mean scores on depressive and anxious cognitions (CCL), FPI and its subscales, and the General Health Questionnaire-28 and its subscales (p < 0.05). The CBGT intervention reduced the infertility-related psychosocial problems experienced by infertile women and promoted improvement in their depressive and anxious cognitions, and their mental health.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank to all participants in this study. They also thank the nurses and secretaries in the infertility outpatient clinic for their support.

Funding

This study was not funded.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mentaland Psychiatric Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Düzce University, Konuralp Campus, 81600, Düzce, Turkey

    Aysel Karaca

  2. Department of Obstetricsand Gynecology, Faculty Of Medical School Düzce, Düzce University, Düzce, Turkey

    Ali Yavuzcan

  3. Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Tokat Gaziosmanpasa University, Tokat, Turkey

    Sedat Batmaz

  4. Department of Biostatistics, Faculty Of Medical School, Düzce University, Düzce, Turkey

    Şengül Cangür

  5. Düzce University Training and Research Hospital, Düzce, Turkey

    Arife Çalişkan

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  1. Aysel Karaca
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  2. Ali Yavuzcan
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  3. Sedat Batmaz
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  4. Şengül Cangür
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  5. Arife Çalişkan
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Contributions

Study design: AK, AY, SB; data collection: AÇ, AK, AY; article drafting: AK, SB, AY and data interpretation and revision and final approval of the article: all authors.

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Correspondence to Aysel Karaca.

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Karaca, A., Yavuzcan, A., Batmaz, S. et al. The Effect of Cognitive Behavioral Group Therapy on Infertility Stress, General Health, and Negative Cognitions: A Randomized Controlled Trial. J Rat-Emo Cognitive-Behav Ther 37, 375–394 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10942-019-00317-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10942-019-00317-3

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