Fahimeh Zarean; Ali Sheykholeslami; Esmaeil Sadri Damirchi; Ali Rezaei Sharif
Abstract
Background: Couples diagnosed with infertility encounter a range of stressful experiences including strain on marital and family relationships, changes in sexual dynamics, and other unavoidable challenges. This study aimed to examine the impact of healing codes training on infertility stigma and self-concept ...
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Background: Couples diagnosed with infertility encounter a range of stressful experiences including strain on marital and family relationships, changes in sexual dynamics, and other unavoidable challenges. This study aimed to examine the impact of healing codes training on infertility stigma and self-concept among infertile women.Methods: This quasi-experimental study employed a three-stage design (pretest, posttest, and follow-up) with two groups (experimental and control). The target population comprised all infertile women seeking treatment at fertility centers in Isfahan, Iran in 2023. A convenience sample of 40 volunteers was selected based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The study participants were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (n=20) or a control group (n=20). All participants completed the Infertility Stigma Scale and the Beck Self-Concept Test at the pretest, posttest, and follow-up stages. The experimental group received 14 weekly sessions of healing codes training (90 minutes per session). The control group was placed on a waiting list. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to analyze the data.Results: The healing codes group exhibited a marked decline in infertility stigma scores following the intervention. The pretest mean score of 90.40 (SD=15.42) decreased significantly to 72.80 (SD=11.82) at the posttest and remained relatively low at the follow-up, with a mean of 70.81 (SD=12.69) (P=0.001). Similarly, self-concept scores within the healing codes group demonstrated a notable reduction. The pretest mean was 62.92 (SD=7.44), followed by a decrease to 52.33 (SD=5.17) at the posttest and a minor fluctuation to 52.29 (SD=4.78) at the follow-up (P=0.001). In contrast, the control group exhibited stability in both infertility stigma and self-concept scores across time points.Conclusions: The findings of this study provide compelling evidence for the effectiveness of the healing codes intervention in addressing infertility stigma, and improving self-concept among individuals struggling with infertility.
Fahimeh Zarean; Ali Sheykholeslami; Esmaeil Sadri Damirchi; Ali Rezaei Sharif
Abstract
Background: In addition to physical problems, infertile couples face psychological issues during treatment. This study aimed to investigate the effect of healing codes training on the sexual self-esteem of infertile women.Methods: The present study employed a quasi-experimental pre-test, post-test, follow-up ...
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Background: In addition to physical problems, infertile couples face psychological issues during treatment. This study aimed to investigate the effect of healing codes training on the sexual self-esteem of infertile women.Methods: The present study employed a quasi-experimental pre-test, post-test, follow-up design with a control group and an experimental group. Convenience sampling method was used to recruit forty infertile women satisfying the inclusion criteria from fertility treatment centers in Isfahan, Iran in 2023. Participants were randomly assigned into either the experimental group (n=20) or the control group (n=20). The experimental group received a standardized 14-week intervention consisting of weekly 90-minute training sessions focused on a specific therapeutic technique (healing codes). Data analysis was conducted using repeated-measures ANOVA.Results: The results demonstrated a statistically significant increase in sexual self-esteem scores in the experimental group compared with the control group (P=0.001) at both the post-test and follow-up phases. No significant difference was observed between the groups at pre-test. Throughout the study, the mean scores for the experimental group (post-test: 110.13±6.71, follow-up: 110.32±6.93) were significantly higher than the control group (post-test: 91.93±11.40, follow-up: 94.74±17.12). These findings suggested that healing codes training led to a significant difference in sexual self-esteem between the experimental and control groups (P=0.001).Conclusions: This study provided evidence that healing codes training leads to a significant improvement in sexual self-esteem among infertile women. These findings suggested that healing codes training may be a promising new approach to improve the psychological well-being of infertile women.
