Assessment of family function impact on depression severity among infertile women attending a teaching hospital in South-South Nigeria

Aim: Family function and husband support can impact depression severity in women with infertility disorder. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of family function and husband support on depression severity among women with infertility disorder at the fertility clinics of a University Teaching Hospital, South-South, Nigeria. Methodology: A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out among 341 female respondents attending the University of Benin Teaching Hospital fertility clinics over a 3-month period, using a semistructured interviewer administered questionnaire. Data obtained were analyzed. Result: Respondents mean age was 36 5.3 years. The overall prevalence for depression in this study was 42.5% with a breakdown of 64.2%, 30.4% and 5.4% of these depressed participants having mild, moderate and severe depression, respectively. Family dysfunction had a statistically significant relationship with severity of depression in women with infertility (p < 0.001). A statistically significant relationship was established between poor husband support and the severity of depression (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Depression is highly prevalent among women with infertility disorder, severe depression was associated with family dysfunction. Good family function would reduce the severity of depression. Lay abstract We assumed that good family function will be associated with low incidence and severity of depression in women with infertility disorder. We also reasoned that good family functioning and husband support would be very important in ameliorating depression in such women. This study assessed the incidence of depression in infertility and its severity. It investigated the association between family and husband functional relationship, vis-a-vis the severity of depression. The study revealed that depression was prevalent among women with infertility disorder at a rate of 42.5%. The majority of the depressed women had mild-to-moderate depression, with a significant association between dysfunctional family functioning and moderate-to-severe depression. Other factors such as increasing age, increase duration of infertility and polygamy affected severity of depression among women with infertility disorder in this study. Promotion of good family functioning may decrease the prevalence and severity of depression among women with infertility disorder.