Assessment on relationship beliefs and marital burnout among fertile and infertile couples

Infertility is accompanied by numerous physical, psychological and economic issues, leading to significant impacts on spousal relations, marital satisfaction or burnout of a couple. Relationship beliefs have a significant role in the management of this stressful factor as well as in marital relations. This research sets out to study relationship beliefs and marital burnout among fertile and infertile couples. The population of this descriptive-correlational study comprises of fertile and infertile couples seeking treatment from Mashhad Infertility Treatment Clinic (2012). Via convenience sampling, 130 fertile and 130 infertile couples were selected according to medical criteria. The participants filled out the demographic data, Pine's Burnout Measure, and Epstein and Eidelson's Relationship Belief Inventory questionnaires. The data were analyzed through descriptive statistical methods, step by stem regression, one way variance analysis, Scheffe's tests, multi variable variance analysis, and independent T-test by SPSS version 18. All the scores concerning relationship beliefs were higher in the fertile group in comparison to the scores within the infertile group, except for the destructiveness belief and inflexibility of the spouse (respectively P=0.28, P=0.21) other factors in the fertile and infertile groups were significantly different. Regarding the marital burnout factor, the scores pertaining to psychological burnout were significantly higher in the infertile group (P=0.001). Although the scores pertaining to physical burnout were higher in the infertile group, and emotional burnout was higher in the fertile group, these differences were not significant. Compared to the fertile group, the infertile couples are characterized by stronger relationship beliefs, but they experience higher marital burnout in physical and psychological dimensions.