Effect of Cognitive-Behavioral Group Therapy on Identity Crisis and Pregnancy of Pregnant Women Applying for IVF

The problem of infertility as a stressful event is associated with many psychological problems. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of cognitive-behavioral group therapy on identity crisis and pregnancy probability of infertile women seeking IVF.

A quasi-experimental research with pre-test, post-test with control group was the statistical population of all infertile women applying for IVF in Qain in 1398 among whom women with weak identity were selected by purposeful sampling. Randomized alternatives were divided into two groups of 17 as experimental and control groups. Group cognitive behavioral therapy was administered to the experimental group in 10 90-minute sessions. Information about the research variables was obtained by Identity Crisis Questionnaire in two stages of pre-test and post-test from experimental and control group. The data were analyzed using mean and standard deviation tests, covariance analysis.

The results showed that the mean of identity crisis decreased after the experimental group (96/59) compared to the pre-test (138) but the difference between the mean pre-test (144/35) and the post-test (138/8) was significantly different. There is no evidence of the effect of group cognitive-behavioral therapy training on identity crisis in infertile women seeking IVF. Also, the difference between the two groups was in the goallessness (f = 11/11), absurdity (f = 18/97), hopelessness (f = 56/14), lack of confidence (f / 68/22), and worthless (f (20.9%), life dissatisfaction (55.3%), anxiety (21.7%), sadness (10.7%), aggression (15.5%), and anger (15.9%). 63) significant at p <0.05 level. Therefore, it can be concluded that there is a significant difference between the scores of identity crisis and its components in the experimental and control groups. The results also show that since p <0.05 there is a significant difference between the probability of pregnancy of infertile women applying for IVF in the experimental and control groups.

We conclude that cognitive-behavioral therapy affects identity crisis and its components in infertile women seeking IVF. Cognitive-behavioral therapy, by modifying negative beliefs and replacing them with positive and rational thoughts, leads to reduction of identity and component crisis. Its effects on infertile women apply for IVF. Also, group cognitive-behavioral therapy training has a significant effect on the probability of pregnancy of infertile women applying for IVF.