Irrational parenthood cognition and infertility stigma among infertile women: A cross-sectional study in Changsha, China

Background: Stigma is among the most prevalent and disturbing consequences of being infertile among women, yet it remains unknown whether fertility stigma is affected by irrational parenthood cognitions (IPC). The current study aimed to assess IPC, infertility stigma, and their interrelationship among a group of Chinese women referred to an infertility center in Changsha, Hunan, China. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 376 women seeking treatment for infertility in Changsha City, China. Pearson correlation test was used to explore the association between IPC and infertility stigma, while multivariate linear regression was used to explore the independent influencing factors of infertility stigma. Results: Participants had a mean score of 42.41 +/- 13.03 for IPC and 62.89 +/- 24.50 for ISS. IPC was highly correlated with infertility stigma with a large effect size (r = 0.55, p < 0.001). Multivariate linear regression showed that patients' infertility stigma was positively associated with IPC (beta = 1.06, p < 0.001) while negatively associated with education (beta = -5.4, p = 0.036) and disclosure of infertility (beta = -8.39, p = 0.001) (R-2 = 36 %). In addition, various influencing factors were identified for the four dimensions of infertility stigma. Conclusion: This study is the first to identify a positive association between irrational parenthood cognitions and infertility stigma among infertile women in China. Our findings provide useful guidance for the future development of effective anti-stigma intervention programs among infertile women.