Improving daily spiritual experiences and hope among infertile women: The impact of spiritually integrated psychotherapy

Background: Infertility can lead to depression, anxiety, a loss of hope, and a sense of meaninglessness in the lives of affected women. Implementing spiritual/religious interventions may help alleviate the psychological and social stress experienced by infertile women. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of spiritually integrated psychotherapy (SIP) in enhancing hope and daily spiritual experiences in infertile women. Methods: This quasi-experimental study utilized a pre-posttest design with a control group. The study population consisted of all infertile women who had visited the Omid Royan Fertility Center in Arak (Iran) in 2022. A sample of 40 infertile women undergoing infertility treatment was selected through convenience and voluntary sampling. These women were divided into 2 groups, an intervention group and a control group, each consisting of 20 participants, using a randomized block design. Subsequently, participants in the experimental group attended 10 SIP intervention sessions. Data were collected using the Daily Spiritual Experience Scale (DSES) and the Adult Hope Scale (AHS). The collected data were analyzed using univariate ANCOVA with SPSS v. 16. Results: The results revealed a statistically significant difference between the mean scores of hopes (pre-test: 20.02 ± 4.01, post-test: 11.59 ± 2.81; P = 0.02) and daily spiritual experiences (pre-test: 32.81 ± 5.24, post-test: 33.07 ± 5.01; P = 0.01) in the participants of the 2 groups in the post-intervention phase. However, this difference was not significant for hope in the control group (pre-test: 12.02 ± 3.14; post-test: 11.59 ± 2.81; P = 0.52) and the DSES (pre-test: 32.61 ± 4.96, post-test: 33.07 ± 5.01; P = 0.81). Conclusion: The findings suggest that integrative fertility treatment can effectively blend psychosocial interventions with spiritual/religious treatments. Furthermore, SIP intervention can be considered a complementary, supportive, and ongoing treatment option for infertile couples.