Investigating the Effectiveness of the Psychological Empowerment Program Focusing on Tolerance of Ambiguity Based on the Lived Experience of Infertile Women in the Treatment Process on Psychological Hardiness

Dirmanchi , Niloufar; Kazemian , Somayeh; Khosravi Babadi , Ali Akbar

Volume 15 - Articles-1404 MEJDS (2025) 15: 83 | Back to browse issues page

Ethics code: IR.IAU.CTB.REC.1402.081

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Dirmanchi N, Kazemian S, Khosravi Babadi A A. Investigating the Effectiveness of the Psychological Empowerment Program Focusing on Tolerance of Ambiguity Based on the Lived Experience of Infertile Women in the Treatment Process on Psychological Hardiness. MEJDS 2025; 15 (0) :83-83
URL: http://jdisabilstud.org/article-1-3487-en.html

Investigating the Effectiveness of the Psychological Empowerment Program Focusing on Tolerance of Ambiguity Based on the Lived Experience of Infertile Women in the Treatment Process on Psychological Hardiness

Niloufar Dirmanchi¹

, Somayeh Kazemian ^*²

, Ali Akbar Khosravi Babadi³

1- PhD Student in Counseling, Department of Education and Counseling, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
2- Associate Professor, Department of Counseling, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran
3- Associate Professor, Department of Education and Counseling, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract: (640 Views)

Abstract
Background & Objectives: The psychological stress associated with infertility arises from various factors, such as ambiguity about its causes, the length of treatment, and financial concerns. Ambiguity is something that we face every day in different situations. Tolerating ambiguity is one of the important factors in facing problems. Hardiness is a personality trait that serves as a source of resilience in the face of stressful events. Hardy people involve themselves in life's activities, believing they can influence events, and they view change as natural and stimulating to growth. Since the effort for fertility requires continuity, it is essential to maintain a balance between uncertainty and certainty, as well as to cultivate strength, resilience, and stress management skills.
Additionally, raising awareness and focusing on mental health is crucial, allowing a person to fulfill their responsibilities in the best way possible. Therefore, to strengthen the body and mind of women who have infertility and to achieve the goal, they can be psychologically empowered. Therefore, this study seeks to investigate whether the psychological empowerment program centered on tolerance of ambiguity based on the lived experience of infertile women in the treatment process is effective on the psychological hardiness of infertile women.
Methods: This research employed the single–case study method of an A–B single–subject design. Among the women referred for infertility treatment, 3 infertile women who met the inclusion criteria were selected by the available sampling. The inclusion criteria for the subjects in the study were as follows: primary infertility (confirmed by an obstetrician and gynecologist); being between the ages of 20 and 45; bearing a minimum education level of a high school diploma; having a duration of infertility after 24 months of unprotected sexual intercourse; lacking psychological disorders; not receiving counseling, psychological, or psychiatric services; and having consent to participate in the study. The exclusion criteria were the subject's unwillingness to continue the study, failure to cooperate in treatment sessions, becoming pregnant during the study, and the disappearance of any of the entry conditions. Before the program of psychological empowerment of infertile women, each participant completed the Lang and Goulet Hardiness Scale (LGHS) (Lang et al., 2003) to obtain baseline scores. The intervention program was then administered to the participants over 9 sessions. The researcher made every effort to ensure that the sessions were interactive and engaging. In the fifth and ninth sessions, as well as the follow–up, participants completed the Lang and Goulet Hardiness Scale (LGHS) again to determine post–program scores (Lang et al., 2003). The program of psychological empowerment of infertile women was used, focusing on tolerance of ambiguity in the treatment process. To measure the validity of the program's content, it was approved by 10 experts. The content validity ratio was calculated using the Lavish method and the content validity index. Therefore, the content of the sessions was maintained at a level of more than 0.75. To increase their psychological hardiness, the program was conducted in nine 45–minute sessions and one follow–up session one month later. Additionally, for data analysis, a visual review of graphs (showing the rise and fall of the dependent variable), improvement percentage indicators, variability, and effect size was employed.
Results: The results showed an increase in the psychological hardiness components for the three subjects after treatment. Additionally, the percentage of improvement in the first subject's psychological hardiness components was greater than that of the second and third subjects. Based on the findings, the effect sizes for the three subjects in the control, commitment, and struggle components of the psychological hardiness variable were 4.53, 5.97, and 7.16, respectively.
Conclusion: The findings of the present study showed that the psychological empowerment program based on lived experience is effective in increasing the psychological hardiness of infertile women.

Keywords: Lived experience, Ambiguity tolerance, Psychological empowerment, Infertile women, Psychological hardiness

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Type of Study: Original Research Article | Subject: Counseling

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