The influence of depression and anxiety on help-seeking behaviour among infertile women in South-Western Nigeria

Abstract

There is a critical gap in psychological research on the subject of help-seeking for depression and anxiety resulting from infertility. This study addressed help-seeking behaviour of infertile women who reported symptoms of depression and anxiety as a result of their infertility in South-Western Nigeria. The study was correlational design. A sample of 555 respondents receiving infertility treatment was purposively selected from three tertiary hospitals in South-Western Nigeria. The age of the women ranged from 20-59 years, while the mean and standard deviation of the women's age were 33.44 years and 19.90 years respectively. Two standardized scales: Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS); and General Help-Seeking Questionnaire (GHSQ) were completed by the women. The data collected in the study were subjected to both descriptive and inferential statistical analyses.

                Infertile women reported less than 10% normal depression level, mild depression of 38.6%, followed by moderate 31.1% and then severe 21.1% depression respectively. In addition the women reported 12.1% normal anxiety level while most of the women reported mild anxiety of 44.5% followed by moderate 26.9% and then severe 18.5% anxiety respectively. There was a statistically significant negative correlation among depression, anxiety, and help-seeking behaviour (r= - 0.20, P<.05).