State and trait anxiety levels of childless women in Kayseri, Turkey

Objectives To determine the prevalence rate of primary infertility in the provincial centre of Kayseri, the state-trait anxiety levels of childless women and the impact of some factors on the anxiety levels. Materials and methods The investigation was carried out in the Kayseri province of Turkey. A sample group of 2400 married women aged 1.5-49 was visited at home and couples with primary infertility were identified. The female partners of these couples were included in the study group and were called 'childless women'. A control group was made up of women, with at least one child, who were of similar ages and resided in similar conditions as the study group. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory was applied to the study group of 150 childless women, and the age and residence matched control group. Results The prevalence of primary infertility in the area was found to be 6.3%. Of the childless women, 89.3% had consulted a physician for diagnosis or treatment of infertility and 66.6% had applied traditional remedies in order to conceive. State anxiety scores had mean values of 43.3 and 31.4 in the study and control groups, respectively. The trait anxiety scores were higher with values of 49.5 and 45.1, respectively. The impact of childlessness on the state and trait anxiety levels was statistically significant. The duration of marriage was a significant predictor of the trait anxiety score. The impact of the educational level of the women and that of the husband's support on the trait anxiety score were also found to be statistically significant. Conclusion The state and trait anxiety scores among childless women were higher than in controls. The trait anxiety scores among childless women increased with the duration of their marriage. The educational level of the childless women and the husband's support may affect anxiety levels.