Irrational parenthood cognition and infertility stigma among infertile women: a cross- sectional study in Changsha, China

Abstract Background Stigma is among the most prevalent and disturbing consequences of being infertile among women, yet it remains unknown whether fertility stigma is affected by irrational parenthood cognitions. The current study aimed to assess irrational parenthood cognitions, infertility stigma, and their interrelationship among a group of Chinese women referred to an infertility center in Changsha, Hunan, China. Methods In this cross-sectional study, 376 women seeking treatment for infertility at three hospitals in Changsha City were recruited and completed online questionnaires through the questionnaire star from October 2020 to January 2021. Irrational parenthood cognitions and infertility stigma were assessed by the Irrational parenthood cognitions (IPC) scale and Infertility Stigma Scale (ISS), respectively. Pearson correlation test was used to explore the association between IPC and ISS, while multivariate linear regression was used to explore the independent influencing factors of stigma. Results Participants had a mean score of 42.41 ± 13.03 for IPC and 62.89 ± 24.50 for ISS. Irrational parenthood cognitions were highly correlated with infertility stigma with a large effect size (r = 0.55, p < 0.001). Multivariate linear regression showed that patients’ infertility stigma was positively associated with irrational parenthood cognitions (β = 1.06, p < 0.001), while negatively associated with education (β=-5.4, p = 0.036) and disclosure of infertility (β= -8.39, p = 0.001). Conclusion This study is the first to identify a positive association between irrational parenthood cognitions and infertility stigma among infertile women in China. Our findings provide useful guidance for the future development of effective anti-stigma intervention programs among infertile women.