Assessment on Occurrences of Depression and Anxiety and Associated Risk Factors in the Infertile Chinese Men

Abstract

The prevalence of depression and anxiety in the Chinese male population with infertility is still uncertain. The prevalence of depression, anxiety, and a combination of both psychological symptoms was 20.8%, 7.8%, and 15.4%, respectively in 771 infertile Chinese men in the current study by the Mental Health Inventory–5 and the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory–Short Form questionnaires. Differences in demographics (age, education, and income) had no noticeable impact on the development of psychological symptoms. Clinical factors such as concomitant disorders (varicocele, epididymal cyst, and erectile dysfunction) were identified as risk factors associated with depressive symptoms (OR = 1.47; 95% CI [1.14, 1.90]; p < .001) and both depressive and anxiety symptoms (OR = 1.56; 95% CI [1.17, 2.08]; p < .001). An infertility duration over 2 years was associated with a high risk of anxiety symptoms (OR = 3.94; 95% CI [1.20, 12.93], p < .02). Other clinical conditions such as type of treatment and quality of sperm were not significant risk factors for psychological symptoms. This study provides evidence that Chinese men of reproductive age who suffer from infertility are vulnerable to psychological distress.

The Relationship of Male Infertility with Somatosensory Amplification, Health Anxiety and Depression Levels

“…23 There are many studies evaluating psychological well-being of patients with infertility, especially their anxiety and depression levels. 2,[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]24 Increased stress-related anxiety and depression have been shown to reduce the success of in vitro fertilization by affecting cytokine levels. 11 In addition, it has been emphasized that semen parameters were adversely affected as a result of changes in the blood hormonal levels.…”

“…3 Anxiety and depressive disorders were reported to be more common in infertile individuals. 2,[4][5][6][7][8][9] It has been reported that the incidence of psychiatric disorders in both male and female infertility is 12.41% after 2 years of diagnosis and that psychiatric support might be needed during the diagnosis and the treatment of infertility. 8 In addition, a change in the blood and semen levels of hormonal and oxidative stress products has been shown to depend on the level of depression and anxiety.…”

Gender differences in factors associated with depression in infertility patients

“…Moreover, most infertile men and women find themselves to be the targets of gossip from their relatives, peers, extended family members, and the broader community. For example, some participants reported that siblings and neighbors labelled them as being “incomplete people,” belonging to an “imperfect family,” and living a “life of regret” (Chen et al, ; Yang et al, ). This increased their feelings of humiliation and misery.…”

The Analysis of Fertility Quality of Life and the Influencing Factors of Patients with Repeated Implantation Failure

“…Infertility is often considered to be a decrease or loss of fertility. Therefore, patients with male infertility will suspect their masculinity, especially in men with sexual dysfunction or azoospermia who bears strong feelings of inferiority and guilty [14] . This study showed that male infertility is one of the factors that affect the QOL of patients with repeated implantation failure ( Table 6).…”