The Contribution of Couple’s Attachment Style to the Adjustment to Infertility

As a major life crisis, infertility is a very stressful and distressing experience leading to psychological maladjustments and disorders. To examine the contribution of attachment style to the adjustment to infertility, 46 married couples (N=92) undergoing infertility evaluation and treatment were included in this study. All 92 subjects completed the Aduit Attachment Inventory, the Mental Health Inventory and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale. Secure attachment style was shown to be significantly related to psychological adjustment to infertility. Secure persons reported more psychological well-being, less psychological distress and more dyadic adjustment than insecure persons. Partners of secure persons also reported higher levels of well-being and dyadic adjustment and lower levels of disterss than partners of insecure persons. Results and implications are discussed in terms of attachment theory.