Effect of resilience on infertile couples’ quality of life: an actor–partner interdependence model approach

BACKGROUND: Infertility is an emerging socioeconomic issue affecting an individual’s life and the nation. However, only few studies have examined the influence of resilience on the quality of life (QoL) of spouses as actors and partners. Hence, this study aimed to analyze the influence of resilience, a positive factor that infertile couples may have, on QoL using the actor–partner interdependence model (APIM). METHODS: By the analyses of couples’ data, we analyzed the effect of resilience on the QoL of infertile couples as actors and partners. This cross-sectional study included 150 infertile couples. The Fertility Quality of Life and Resilience Scale was used to measure couples’ QoL and resilience. APIM was applied to analyze QoL. RESULTS: In terms of actor effects, the resilience of both wives (β = 0.201, p < 0.001) and husbands (β = 0.713, p < 0.001) had a significant effect on individual QoL. With regard to partner effects, husbands’ resilience (β = 0.351, p < 0.001) had a significant impact on wives’ QoL and the wives’ resilience (β = 0.219, p = 0.009) had a significant impact on husbands’ QoL. CONCLUSIONS: The resilience of an infertile actor was found to affect both his/her own QoL and his/her partner’s QoL. In the future, if a program is to be developed to improve couples’ QoL, both spouses should work together to improve their resilience, thereby improving their QoL.