Longitudinal Analyses of the Relationship Between Unsupportive Social Interactions and Psychological Adjustment Among Women with Fertility Problems

This study examined the association of unsupportive social interactions and psychological adjustment among 123 women with fertility problems, and tested whether threat appraisals and avoidance coping mediate this association. Cross-sectional analyses suggested that infertility-specific unsupportive responses received from other people were associated positively with adjustment problems. Avoidance coping and threat appraisals mediated this association between unsupportive social interactions and adjustment. Longitudinal analyses with 67 of these women revealed that after controlling for Time 1 adjustment, Time 1 unsupportive social interactions were associated positively with depressive symptoms and overall psychological distress only for women who remained infertile at Time 2, compared with women who were pregnant or had given birth. Associations between Time 1 unsupportive social interactions and self-esteem at Time 2 were similar for both groups of women.