The Dynamics of Marital Relations and Parental Attitudes in Families Who Conceived the Child Through in Vitro Fertilization

Abstract: Introduction. The growing prevalence of assisted reproductive technology leads to an increase in the research interest in the psychological characteristics of families who have conceived a child through in vitro fertilization (IVF), as a significant factor contributing to child’s health and development. However, there are some deficits and contradictions in the available data. The study is aimed at identifying the specifics and dynamics of marital relations, parental attitudes and the mental well-being of the spouses who conceived the child through IVF, during the pregnancy and child’s infancy. Methods. Participants were 250 married couples: 160 couples with natural pregnancy (NC), and 90 couples with induced pregnancy (IVF). Marital relations, parental attitudes and mental well-being as the affective component of relations were assessed via a set of psychodiagnostic instruments during the pregnancy and at the child’s infancy. Results. Most characteristics of marital relations did not differ significantly across the NC and IVF groups at both research waves. Parental attitudes were significantly more positive in the IVF than in the NC families, indicating high value of parenthood. During the pregnancy, two types of families were identified in both groups: “Marital and parental well-being” (58 %) and “Marital discord and a high value of parenthood” (42 %) in the main group, “Marital and parental well-being” (67 %) and “Difficulties in marital relations and parental attitudes” (33 %) in control group. Characteristics of these types of families remained stable during the child’s infancy. Discussion. The results suggest that marital relations are not significantly associated with the method of conception, and the observed tendencies are mostly related to the critical periods in family life cycle. In contrast, parental attitudes in IVF families have special characteristics, e.g. the high value of parenthood that is relatively independent of other aspects of family functioning. The results can be used in the process of psychological support for families with induced pregnancy.