By Elekwachi Chimezie

In a society where children are highly valued and considered as products of “happy” marriage, the burden of infertility is considered very challenging to the couple, their family and friends, but appears worse on the women who are trying to conceive (TTC). 

Among the factors that contribute to this burden of infertility are; cultural expectations, family pressure, maternal age and perceived lack of support from spouse. The latter appears to be more worrisome to the woman trying to conceive and could equally make her feel insecure.

This informed Innoeze Uchenna (PhD), a clinical psychologist, currently working as an assistant chief psychologist at the department of psychological medicine, University of Nigeria teaching hospital, Enugu, to develop a tool that can measure the level of spousal support, women battling with infertility receive and how this affect their somatization as a result of the distress associated with infertility. As a clinical psychologist with over a decade experience in clinical practice, academic research and development work, she has amasses an appreciable level of knowledge and experience, which has availed her the opportunity to engage in multidisciplinary collaborations in this research.

The spousal support index(SSI), is a psychometric instrument designed to measure the level and quality of emotional, psychological and practical support provided by husbands or partners their wives battling with infertility in our society.

It is an instrument that x-rays key dimensions such as emotional connection to the woman during fertility challenge, protection against external and family pressures, involvement in the treatment and empathy. 

More so, it is relevant for clinical and research purposes in the sense that.

• It helps to identify gaps in partner support among women with fertility challenges.
• Makes room for coupled based therapy where necessary.
• Supporting culturally sensitive mental healthcare in reproductive health settings.
• Incorporating psychosocial interventions in fertility treatments.

Innoeze’s contributions, which entails SSI as well as research in determinants of somatization among women battling with infertility in southeast Nigeria, paves way for a better understanding of the interplay between family dynamics, infertility and mental health in African contexts.