Comparison of psychological well-being, moral foundations and sense of humor in infertile and fertile couples

Background: Infertility is a major life stressor that leads to the emergence of psychological disorders and profound stressful experiences among infertile individuals. Objective: This study aimed to investigate psychological well-being, moral foundations, and sense of humor in fertile and infertile couples referring to the Al-Zahra Educational Therapeutic Center in Rasht in 2022. Methods: In this study, we conducted a causal-comparative analysis of 212 individuals (106 infertile and 106 fertile couples) in 2022. We examined the samples using Ryff's psychological well-being questionnaire, moral foundations questionnaire, and multidimensional sense of humor scale questionnaire. For the analysis of the data in two groups, we performed an analysis of covariance using IBM SPSS 28 software. Results: The results of data analysis showed that there is a significant difference between infertile and fertile couples regarding self-acceptance, positive relations with others, autonomy, and personal growth dimensions of psychological well-being, the sanctity/purity dimension of moral foundations, the humor creativity and uses of humor for social purposes dimension of sense of humor, and the total score of psychological well-being. Conclusion: Fertile couples scored significantly higher on some psychological well-being, moral foundations, and sense of humor dimensions than infertile couples. The two groups had no significant difference in the other dimensions and elements examined.