The Effects of a Relationship Enrichment Educational Program Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior on Infertile Couples

Abstract

Background and Aim: Infertility is associated with physical, financial, psychological, and social stress, and affects all aspects of infertile couples’ lives. It is among the most stressful life events and can inflict psychological damage on couples. The present study sought to evaluate the effects of a relationship enrichment educational program, based on the theory of planned behavior, on infertile couples. Methods: This was a pretest-posttest quasi-experimental study. The study population was all infertile couples, which had referred to the offices of obstetricians in Birjand, Iran. Thirty-two infertile couples were recruited and randomly allocated to either an experimental or a control group. Data were collected at three time points, before, immediately after, and three months after the intervention, using a researcher-made instrument developed based on the constructs of the Theory of Planned Behavior. The study intervention was a relationship enrichment educational program, which was developed based on the theory of planned behavior and implemented in six ninety-minute sessions in three weeks. Education was provided using the lecture method, PowerPoint presentations, and video clips. The SPSS software (v. 16.0) was used to analyze the data through performing independent sample t test and the repeated measures analysis of variance. Findings: At baseline, there were no significant differences between the groups regarding the participants’ demographic characteristics and the mean scores of the constructs of the Theory of Planned Behavior. However, following the study intervention, the scores for attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and intention constructs of the theory significantly increased from 79.59 ± 13.6, 43.7 ± 9.7, 2.5 ± 1, and 1.5 ± 0.6 to 95.63 ± 11.4, 51.8 ± 8.1, 4.3 ± 0.7, and 2.7 ± 0.5, respectively (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The relationship enrichment educational program can significantly improve the scores of the constructs of the Theory of Planned Behavior among infertile couples.