A Qualitative Inquiry into the Mediating Role of Religion and Spirituality in Adjusting Marital Relationships of Infertile Women

Robab Latifnejad Roudsari · Helen Therese Allan · Pam A. Smith

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Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology Attachment and Relationship Dynamics Reproductive Health and Technologies

Abstract

Background and Aim: Despite growing body of literature regarding marital adjustment of infertile women, to our knowledge, there is no study to address the role of religious and spiritual beliefs in adjusting marital relationships in infertile women. Considering the significance of marital cohesiveness and commitment in the long and stressful journey of infertile women, this study was designed to explore how marital relationships are experienced by infertile women who affiliated to different religious faiths.Methods: A group of 30 infertile women affiliated to different denominations of Christianity (Protestantism, Catholicism, Orthodoxies) and Islam (Shiite and Sunni) were interviewed. The design was a grounded theory study including semi structured in-depth interviews. Data were collected in one Iranian and two UK fertility clinics through theoretical sampling and analyzed using Strauss and Corbin’s mode of grounded theory. Results: Religious infertile women using a religious/spiritual meaning-making framework tried adjust their marital relationships through going the following phases: being optimistic and positive, having supportive relationships, being grateful and appreciated for their marital life, offering spiritual sympathy and adopting religious role models. These strategies aided infertile women to be more understanding, sympathetic and gentle towards maintaining the family cohesion.Conclusion: I argue that awareness of health professionals of the potential ways in which religion and spirituality assist infertile women to deal with their marital issues could be important. This knowledge will help them to support emotional wholeness and integrity of infertile women, offering religious and spiritual coping strategies which can help adjusting their marital relationships.

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References

1968The Discovery of Grounded Theory: Strategies for Qualitative Research.1998Basics of qualitative research : techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory 2010Religion in Families, 1999–2009: A Relational Spirituality Framework 1999Marriage and the spiritual realm: The role of proximal and distal religious constructs in marital functioning.1996Grounded theory as feminist research methodology 2007Forsaking all others : How religious involvement promotes marital fidelity in christian, jewish, and muslim couples 1988Spiritual Well-Being and Marital Adjustment 2000Religious beliefs and practices and Catholic couples' management of anger and conflict

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