Psychological support for couples undergoing ART treatment: an intervention action re-search for health promotion in the andquot; careandquot; path towards parenthood

Journal title PSICOLOGIA DELLA SALUTE
Author/s Roberta Spoletini, Giulia Scaravelli, Silvia Monaco, Alessia Renzi, Fabiola Fedele
Publishing Year 2024 Issue 2024/3
Language Italian Pages 15 P. 47-71 File size 234 KB
DOI 10.3280/PDS2024-003006
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The parenting project may confront the difficulty of conceiving a child. The infertility con-dition presents a challenge to the couple’s psychophysical well-being, recognized both global-ly and cross-culturally. This study aims to carry out intervention research to detect the peculi-arities of psychological care offered to couples undergoing Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART). In this context, psychological assistance is considered a supportive element for a con-scious parenthood journey. This national study has involved 134 health professionals (physi-cians/biologists) from ART centers, 28 psychologists working in the field, and 324 patients undergoing treatment, through which it was possible to understand how psychological support was an active and structured service. It was also possible to explore the demand toward psy-chological care by physicians and couples and the perception of the psychologist’s profession-al role in this health care setting. Results has shown that the psychological intervention in ART emerges as a fundamental support for the patients and also for all members of the medical team whose intervention is intended to repair a missed and desired parenthood. As emerges from the survey, ART centers need a space offered by psychology that makes possible the explora-tion of the experiences and resources of each protagonist of the treatment path, with specific attention to the couple relationship. From this perspective, psychological assistance, aimed to support couples undergoing ART treatment and team’s activity, can play a fundamental ac-companying function in supporting the care process. Hence it is necessary the formulation of best practices of psychological intervention for the construction of a shared model of care, adapted to the characteristics of the users and the multidisciplinary of the health care context, in order to promote the well-being of the individual, the couple and their care givers.

Keywords: psychological assistance, infertility, assisted reproductive technology treatment, health promotion, parenthood

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Roberta Spoletini, Giulia Scaravelli, Silvia Monaco, Alessia Renzi, Fabiola Fedele, Supporto psicologico alle coppie in trattamento PMA: una ricerca intervento per la promozione di salute nel percorso di “cura” verso la genitorialità in "PSICOLOGIA DELLA SALUTE" 3/2024, pp 47-71, DOI: 10.3280/PDS2024-003006