Self-efficacy, Marital Adjustment, and Quality of Life in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

With a prevalence of 4-25%, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrine disorders among women of the reproductive age. This syndrome causes different metabolic, reproductive, and psychological issues. Therefore, performing research and raising awareness in this regard seem essential.
This study measured self-efficacy, quality of life, and marital adjustment in women with PCOS.
This cross-sectional, descriptive study used convenience samplingto recruit 129 women with PCOS and 125 healthy women during 2013-14. The Rotterdam Diagnostic Criteria was used to confirm the diagnosis of PCOS. The participants completed the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE-10), the World Health Organization’s Quality of Life Questionnaire-Short Form (WHOQOL-BREF), and the Dyadic Marital Adjustment Scale (DAS-32). The data were analyzed using t-tests and multivariate analysis of variance.
The mean scores of marital adjustment were 139.05 ± 16.984 in healthy women and 132.78 ± 20.633 in those with PCOS. The corresponding scores of quality of life were 98.62 ± 11.370 and 93.48 ± 13.372. The mean self-efficacy scores in healthy women and women with PCOS were 28.72 ± 5.65 and 27.92 ± 4.750, respectively. Healthy women had significantly higher marital adjustment and quality of life compared to women with PCOS (t = 2.641; P = 0.009 and t = 3.234; P = 0.001, respectively). However, the two groups had no significant difference in terms of self-efficacy (t = 3.234; P = 0.001).
Compared to healthy women,women with PCOS have lower performance in some psychological aspects. Therefore, it is essential to raise women’s awareness about the symptoms and psychological effects of PCOS. A referral system should also be designed to provide the patients with counseling services. level of empathy diminished with a higher level of father's education (β=-0.142).
The results obtained showed no significant difference between first- and final-year students in terms of empathy score. Since reinforcing predicting factors leads to greater student empathy with patients, empathy skills education in the course of study and generating interest among students appears to increase their sense of empathy.