The aim of the study was investigate the perception of patient undergoing in-vitro fertilization treatment (IVF), correlating those factors in the mechanism of coping with the stresses arising from the treatment, that affect the emotional adjustment of the patients with the emotional adjustment of the patients and the success of the treatment from a medical point of view.
The exploration of the patients` perception of the treatment and their coping mechanism was based on the cognitive theory of coping with stress according to the model of Lazarus and his colleagues. This was examined by means of a questionnaire based on the questionnaire of Folkman and Lazarus (1980) and adapted to the present research on the basis of a pilot study.
Emotional adjustment to the treatment was measured by means of three variables (one positive and two negative): emotional well-being, situational anxiety, and burnout. The success of the treatment was measured by implantation of a fertilized oocyte in the woman`s womb, and the development of a pregnancy.
The correlations, the level of prediction, and the influence and contribution of the selected coping mechanism variables of the emotional adjustment indices were examined. The group that succeeded and the group that did not succeed were compared for differences in emotional adjustment to the treatment.
A significant distinction between the level of emotional adjustment of the women who succeeded in the treatment and that of the women who did not succeed, was found only as indicated by the negative indices ( low situational anxiety and burnout).