Effects of Uncertainty on Depression in Women Undergoing Assisted Reproductive Technology: The Mediating Role of Perceived Stigma and the Moderated Mediation by Spousal Support.
Miok Kim
PMID 41707052WHAT IT FOUND
Spousal support did not clearly change the link between uncertainty, stigma and depression in women undergoing fertility treatment.
Uncertainty and stigma were associated with more depression, and stigma carried part of that link.
Key findings
01Depression was positively correlated with uncertainty (r = 0.53) and perceived stigma (r = 0.58), and negatively correlated with spousal support (r = -0.26).
02Perceived stigma carried a significant indirect association from uncertainty to depression (indirect effect 0.35, 95% CI 0.18 to 0.56).
03Spousal support did not show a significant moderated mediation effect (moderated mediation index 0.01, 95% CI -0.15 to 0.21).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The cross-sectional design cannot establish cause and effect among uncertainty, stigma, spousal support and depression. Participants were recruited by convenience sampling from a single fertility clinic in Busan, South Korea, so the results may not generalise to other regions or cultural settings. The final analysed sample was 118, although the sample-size calculation had specified a minimum of 139 participants. All participants had experienced at least one failed ART cycle and were childless, so the findings may not apply to women undergoing their first treatment or parents. The study used self-report questionnaires only, with no objective clinical outcome or tested intervention.
Declared interests
The research was supported by Dankook University in 2025, and the author declares no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that spousal support protects women from depression through stigma. The moderated mediation index was 0.01 with a 95% CI of -0.15 to 0.21, which included zero, and the cross-sectional design cannot show cause.