Browsing by Author "Betelehem Teklu"

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    The Psychosocial Consequences of Infertility Treatment and Coping Mechanisms Among Women Under Treatment In Selected Private Infertility Treatment Clinic In Addis Ababa
    (Addis Ababa Ethiopia, 2025-06) Betelehem Teklu; Daniel Tefera,(Associate Professor)
    Infertility treatment imposes profound psychosocial burdens on women, particularly in sociocultural context where motherhood is central to female identity. This qualitative phenomenological study explores the psychosocial consequences of infertility treatment and the coping mechanisms adopted by women undergoing such treatment in selected private clinics in Addis Ababa. Focusing on their psychosocial challenges, coping strategies, and the interplay of cultural, relational, and economic factors. Six married women aged 29-39years, diagnosed with primary and secondary infertility and actively receiving assisted reproductive technologies (ART), were Purposively sampled. Data were collected through in-depth interview and analyzed thematically using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to capture the core of participants’ lived experiences. Participants reported high level of psychological distress, including anxiety, grief, and hopelessness, exacerbated by societal stigma that equates womanhood with fertility. Social isolation emerged as women concealed treatment to avoid judgment, while marital relationships fluctuated between solid and strained under financial and emotional pressures. The financial burden of treatments like IVF costing up to 700,000ETB forced participants to deplete savings, sell assets, or borrow funds, amplifying stress. Cultural norms intensified gendered blame, with women disproportionately bearing social scrutiny and familial pressures to pursue alternatives like traditional healing. Coping mechanisms were multifaceted, anchored in spiritual resilience, social support, and cognitive reframing. Faith in divine intervention provided emotional solace, while spouses and close family members offered critical, albeit inconsistent, support. Participants engaged in positive reframing, viewing treatment as a journey of personal growth, though secrecy and social withdrawal often deepened emotional isolation. Notably, the absence of standardized psychosocial support in clinics left women reliant on informal networks, online communities, and self-guided resilience. This research contributes to global discourse on reproductive health equity, advocating for holistic interventions in low-resource settings where infertility remains a silenced crisis. Future research is recommended to include the perspectives of men and couples, explore the long-term psychosocial outcomes of infertility treatment, and conduct comparative studies across different regions and socioeconomic groups in Ethiopia.