Ebook: Infertility: Perspectives from Stress and Coping Research
- Tags: Personality and Social Psychology, Sexual Behavior, Psychotherapy and Counseling
- Series: The Springer Series on Stress and Coping
- Year: 1991
- Publisher: Springer US
- Edition: 1
- Language: English
- pdf
As a researcher whose work focuses largely on the causes and conse quences of unwanted pregnancy, I may appear to be an unlikely candidate to write a foreword to a book on infertility. Yet, many of the themes that emerge in the study of unwanted pregnancy are also apparent in the study of infertility. Moreover, this volume is an important contribution to the literature on fertility, women's health issues, and health psychology in general, all topics with which I have been closely involved over the past two decades. Neither pregnancy nor its absence is inherently desirable: The occurrence of a pregnancy can be met with joy or despair, and its absence can be a cause of relief or anguish. Whether or not these states are wanted, the conscious and unconscious meanings attached to pregnancy and in fertility, the responses of others, the perceived implications of these states, and one's expectations for the future all are critical factors in determining an individual's response. In addition, both unwanted pregnancy and failure to conceive can be socially stigmatized, evoking both overt and subtle social disapproval. Fur ther, they involve not only the woman, but her partner, and potentially the extended family. Finally, both of these reproductive issues have been poorly researched. Because both are emotionally charged and socially stigmatized events, they are difficult to study. Much of the early literature relied on anecdotal or case reports.
Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-xx
Front Matter....Pages 1-1
Psychological Adjustment to Infertility....Pages 3-16
Diagnosis and Medical Treatment of Infertility....Pages 17-28
Psychological Reactions to Infertility....Pages 29-57
Front Matter....Pages 59-59
The Importance of Social Relationships for Infertile Couples’ Well-Being....Pages 61-86
Cognitive Appraisals, Coping Processes, and Adjustment to Infertility....Pages 87-108
Causal Explanations for Infertility....Pages 109-131
Perceived Control and Adjustment to Infertility among Women Undergoing In Vitro Fertilization....Pages 133-156
Cognitive Examination of Motivation for Childbearing as a Factor in Adjustment to Infertility....Pages 157-180
Front Matter....Pages 181-181
Psychological Intervention and Infertility....Pages 183-196
Psychological Adjustment to Infertility....Pages 197-222
Back Matter....Pages 223-240
Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-xx
Front Matter....Pages 1-1
Psychological Adjustment to Infertility....Pages 3-16
Diagnosis and Medical Treatment of Infertility....Pages 17-28
Psychological Reactions to Infertility....Pages 29-57
Front Matter....Pages 59-59
The Importance of Social Relationships for Infertile Couples’ Well-Being....Pages 61-86
Cognitive Appraisals, Coping Processes, and Adjustment to Infertility....Pages 87-108
Causal Explanations for Infertility....Pages 109-131
Perceived Control and Adjustment to Infertility among Women Undergoing In Vitro Fertilization....Pages 133-156
Cognitive Examination of Motivation for Childbearing as a Factor in Adjustment to Infertility....Pages 157-180
Front Matter....Pages 181-181
Psychological Intervention and Infertility....Pages 183-196
Psychological Adjustment to Infertility....Pages 197-222
Back Matter....Pages 223-240
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