| Abstract
Background: Considering the prevalence of infertility in the community and the consequences of failure of
infertility treatments on women’s mental health, interventions that can control stress, anxiety and depression in
infertile women with a history of IVF failure will be very helpful. This study aimed to determine the effects of hopeoriented
group counseling on mental health (primary outcome) and quality of life (QoL) (secondary outcome) of
women with failed IVF cycles.
Method: This randomized controlled trial was conducted on 60 women with failed IVF cycles visiting Infertility
Clinic at Al-Zahra Teaching Hospital of Tabriz- Iran. Participants were allocated to the intervention group (n = 30)
and control group (n = 30) based on a randomized block design. Hope-oriented group counseling was provided to
the intervention group in six 45–60 min sessions (once a week). The control group only received routine care to
undergo another IVF cycle. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) and the SF-12 Quality of Life Scale
were filled out by interviewing the participants before the intervention and one week and one month after the
intervention. After intervention 26 participants in each group were included in the analysis.
Results: There was no significant difference between the intervention and control groups in the sociodemographic
profile of participants (P > 0.05). The post-intervention mean score of stress (adjusted mean
difference = − 1.7, 95% confidence interval: − 3.2 to − 0.3, P = 0.018) and depression (adjusted mean difference = −
1.3, 95% confidence interval: − 4.7 to − 1.5, P < 0.001) was significantly lower in the intervention group compared to
the control. Although the mean anxiety score was lower in the intervention group compared to the control, the
difference between them was not statistically significant (adjusted mean difference = − 1.1, 95% confidence interval:
− 2.6 to 0.4, P = 0.153). The mean score of QoL was significantly higher in the intervention group than that of the
control group (adjusted mean difference = 6.9, 95% confidence interval: 5.1 to 8.8, P < 0.001).
Conclusion: Hope-oriented group counseling was effective in reducing stress and depression and improving QoL
in women with failed IVF cycles. It is recommended to use this counseling approach, along with other methods, to
improve the mental health of women with failed IVF cycles. |