不孕夫妻於不孕歷程的反應與互動：臺灣不孕女性的觀點

The purpose of this study was to describe sixteen Taiwanese female infertility patients' viewpoints on her reactions toward and interactions with her spouse during the process of infertility. Sixteen participants from the middle or higher socioeconomic status from southern Taiwan averaged 33.31 years old and had been married an average of 6.5 years. The women had completed at least one cycle of infertility treatment and averaged 4.16 years of medical infertility treatment. A "Duquesne method" of phenomenological qualitative analysis proposed by Colaizzi (1978) (cited from McLeod, 2001) was adopted in order to collect and analyze data. The participants reported a higher degree of stress than their spouses, and carried a larger burden of duty throughout infertility treatment. The women viewed themselves as playing the role of decision-makers and actionists in dealing with infertility problems. When looking at the process of infertility closely, these participants tended to get involved in the phases of dawning, mobilization, and immersion sooner than their spouses, and were inclined to stay in the phase of immersion longer and leave this phase later than their spouses. Men were likely to consider terminating medical interventions earlier than women, especially when the women insisted on infertility treatment. In summary, women were apt to get involved with infertility processes sooner and more deeply, and devoted more effort toward infertility treatment with a stronger motivation than their spouses. Because wives and husbands might be occupied in different phases of the infertility process, they might more easily engage in conflicts. Participants also identified the immersion phase as the most difficult time, in which the couple encountered a high degree of stress and conflict. The participants viewed infertility itself and the process of infertility as significant life crises, and acknowledged a need for support and caring from their spouses Finally, implications for mental health clinicians, researchers, and educators/trainers were delineated.