The contribution of personal resources and mother's support to the mental health of younger and older women at the beginning of fertility treatments.

Fertility treatments are often accompanied by high levels of stress and emotional distress among women. The current study, which is part of the larger POWER study (Positive Outlook on Women Entering Reproductive treatment), utilizes the framework of positive psychology and the theoretical model of Lazarus and Folkman (1984) to explore the ways in which resources available to women upon commencement of fertility treatments may contribute to greater emotional well-being and lower levels of emotional distress. Thus, the study examined the associations between internal resources (hope, narcissism and two aspects of self-consciousness– reflection and rumination), various forms of support received from the mother (external resource), and the mental health (well-being and distress) of women at the beginning of  fertility treatments. Additionally, in light of medical findings regarding women’s “biological clock” – referring to her fertility years – the study examined whether age (above or below 35) is associated with mental health, and whether this association is mediated by personal resources and moderated by the external resource.

The sample was composed of 137 women (76 women aged 20-34, and 61 women aged 35-44) who had met once or twice with a fertility specialist in two clinics in Israel. Study participants completed a series of self-report questionnaires.

The findings of the study suggest that younger women report higher levels of emotional distress and rumination than older women. Additionally, higher levels of hope and narcissism are associated with greater emotional well-being, while higher rumination is associated with greater emotional distress. Hope and rumination were found to mediate the association between age and mental health. Furthermore, women who perceived the ‘active engagement’ support provided by their mothers as higher, reported greater emotional well-being. This type of support was also found to moderate the association between age and mental health. Contrary to this, women who perceived the ‘overprotection’ support provided by their mothers as higher reported greater emotional distress. 

The current study emphasizes the importance of personal resources and support (tailored to the needs of the woman) for the emotional well-being of women at early stages of fertility treatments. Moreover, the findings suggest that a woman’s age plays a role not only in her physiological ability to conceive, but also in determining her mental health. The findings reveal that, when compared to older women, younger women have fewer personal resources to assist them in coping with the commencement of fertility treatments, and they are more dependent on their mothers to increase their emotional well-being and decrease their levels of distress. These findings have practical implications for the development of interventions to be applied by medical and paramedical teams working with women at early stages of fertility treatments.