A STUDY ON SOCIAL STIGMA AND FAMILIAL ATTITUDES RELATED TO INFERTILITY AMONG INFERTILE WOMEN ATTENDING INFERTILITY CLINICS

Abstract

Background: Infertility is a major reproductive health issue affecting millions worldwide, with signicant psychological, emotional, and social
consequences. This study assesses the social stigma and familial attitudes related to infertility among infertile women attending infertility clinics at
Queen Mary Hospital, KGMU, Lucknow. Infertility affects approximately 15% of reproductive-aged couples worldwide1. In India, societal norms
and cultural expectations often exacerbate the emotional burden experienced by infertile women 2. Women with infertility frequently face marital
instability, discrimination, and exclusion from family and social events 3,4. Methodology: Using a descriptive correlational research design, data
were collected from 120 infertile women through structured questionnaires. Socio-demographic characteristics, social stigma, and familial
attitudes were analyzed using statistical methods. Results: The ndings of this study reveal that infertile women experience varying levels of social
stigma and familial attitudes, which signicantly affect their quality of life. More than half (59.17%) of the participants reported experiencing mild
self-devaluation, while 24.17% faced moderate self-devaluation. Social withdrawal was another common issue, with 58.33% of the respondents
experiencing mild social withdrawal and 33.33% experiencing moderate levels of withdrawal. Additionally, 60% of women reported experiencing
some form of public stigma related to their infertility. The study also assessed familial attitudes toward infertility. While 58.33% of respondents
stated that their families held neutral attitudes toward their infertility, 41.67% reported receiving positive support from their families. None of the
participants indicated experiencing extremely negative familial attitudes, which suggests that family support plays a crucial role in mitigating the
psychological burden of infertility. Furthermore, correlation analysis showed a weak positive relationship between social stigma and familial
attitudes (r = 0.102), indicating that family support may help counteract the effects of societal stigma. The association between social stigma and
socio-demographic variables revealed that factors such as age, income level, and duration of marriage played a role in shaping individuals'
experiences with stigma. Younger women and those with lower socioeconomic status were more likely to experience higher levels of infertilityrelated
stigma.