Are romantic attachment and couple relational characteristics predictive of assisted reproductive treatment positive outcomes?

Abstract: Background: Infertility represents a major life crisis that threatens significant life goals and can negatively affect a couple’s psychosocial health. A supportive relationship and a secure romantic attachment appear to represent protective factors that may reduce the stress arising from the experience and also play an important role in the success of Assisted Reproductive Treatment (ART). The general aim of the study is to investigate the association among romantic attachment, couple characteristics and ART outcome. Methods: 76 infertile women enrolled in a clinic in Rome completed the Experience in Close Relationship- Revised (ECR-R), the Couple Relationship Inventory (CRI) and a socio-demographic questionnaire. Results: Data analyses showed a significant positive association between ECR-R Anxiety and CRI Idealization/Persecution and Mistrust, and between ECR-R Avoidance and CRI Mistrust, whereas a significant negative association between ECR-R Avoidance and CRI Attunement was found. ART positive outcome was negatively correlated to ECR-R Avoidance and positively related to CRI Dependence. A multi-variable logistic regression revealed that ECR-R Avoidance decreased the probability of pregnancy. Conclusions: ART success appears to be related to lower levels of fear of dependence and interpersonal intimacy, and to higher abilities in self-disclosure within the romantic relationship. ART success was also found to be associated with higher aspects of tenderness and care in the couple. Further investigations are needed in order to confirm this finding with the aim of developing specific therapeutic interventions for couples facing this experience in order to promote the quality of couple relationships thereby increasing the rate of successful ART outcomes.