Abstract
AIM: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between stress, self-compassion, and fertility adjustment in women undergoing infertility treatment in Turkey and to determine whether stress influences fertility adjustment through the mediating effect of self-compassion. DESIGN: A cross-sectional and descriptive design was used in the study. METHOD: The study was conducted with 290 women who applied to the in vitro fertilisation unit in a university hospital in Ankara, Turkey. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and structural equation analysis were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: According to the results of structural equation modelling, self-compassion was found not to affect fertility adjustment, while infertility-related stress directly influenced both self-compassion and fertility adjustment. Additionally, self-compassion was not found to mediate the relationship between stress and fertility adjustment in women undergoing infertility treatment. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that different dynamics may contribute to women's infertility-related stress and fertility adjustment. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION: This study highlights the importance of developing strategies to enhance fertility adjustment in women receiving infertility treatment and underscores the need for nurses working in this field to evaluate women's attitudes toward themselves to provide individualised care aimed at alleviating infertility-related stress. IMPACT: The findings indicate that self-compassion does not have the expected effect in coping with infertility. Specifically, the lack of a direct effect of self-compassion on fertility adjustment, along with the strong influence of stress on both self-compassion and fertility adjustment, suggests that stress management-focused interventions may take precedence. These results indicate that approaches aimed at stress management during infertility treatment can play a critical role in supporting women's adjustment processes. REPORTING METHOD: STROBE guidelines were followed for this study. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: There is no patient or public contribution.