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Childlessness – psychological consequences of decisions taken while experiencing infertility

Abstract The aim of this article is to present the results of original research into psychological consequences for women choosing intentional childlessness as a way of coping with infertility. The study included 87 women who decided to remain childless. Tools used in the study were: the original Attitudes towards Own Infertility Scale; the HDS-M Scale (Zigmond, Snaith); the original Scale for Assessment of Hope as an Emotional State; the Satisfaction with Life Scale SWLS (Diener et al.); the Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale (SES). Significant correlations were found between variables included in the study were found. The analysis comparing psychological variables with sociodemographic variables showed that only the length of time since diagnosis is related to the level of hope. The analysis comparing childless women with those undergoing infertility treatment revealed statistically significant differences in the level of acceptance of one’s infertility (higher in childless women) and in the perception of social support and its types (women undergoing infertility treatment perceived a higher level of support) The cluster analysis indicated that there are three characteristics on which the effectiveness of coping with infertility depend. The conclusions of the study are extremely important in the process of preparing preventive psychology programs for women who make a conscious decision to remain childless.