act for infertility: case series

Conditions: Infertility; Psychological Distress; Acceptance and Commitment Therapy; Psychological Flexibility

Summary: in the united states, around 19% of reproductive-aged couples suffer from infertility. the psychological distress associated with infertility is well-established; those diagnosed commonly experience depression and anxiety symptoms, diminished quality of life, and relationship dissatisfaction. in the current study, the investigators report on a case series, in which up to 10 infertility patients will receive 12 sessions of acceptance and commitment therapy (act). the overarching goal for the current case series is to determine whether act might be well-suited for infertility patients experiencing distress. the specific aims are: 1) to describe the components of the intervention that was delivered; 2) to determine the extent to which infertility patients perceive a 12-session act intervention beneficial and acceptable; 3) to describe change in mood, stress, and act processes across 12 sessions of act; and 4) to highlight potential processes through which act might promote benefits to the patient by describing how change in mood, stress, and act processes relate to each other over the course of 12 sessions of act.

in this study, the investigators present acceptance and commitment therapy (act) as a potentially well-suited intervention for infertility patients, and they highlight mechanisms and processes through which act might benefit patients. they present a series of cases in which the therapist uses an act approach to treat individuals diagnosed with infertility. the duke university health system includes a fertility clinic, which houses an embedded clinical psychology team. patients at the fertility center can participate in individual psychotherapy and/ or group psychotherapy as part of their fertility treatment. an interventionist will provide psychotherapy to up to 10 individuals on the therapy waitlist. patients will be eligible for the study if they: are at least 18 years old, have a diagnosis of infertility, speak english, and are not already participating in individual therapy. patients will be excluded from the study if they endorse current suicidality and/ or self-harming behavior, current psychosis symptoms, and/ or current substance use. for those that enroll in the study, patients will complete 12 therapy sessions in the fertility clinic, with sessions lasting between 50 and 60 minutes. although sessions will vary across individuals, the therapist will aim to target the six core act processes in all cases. the therapist will offer both in-person and virtual sessions. participants will complete a subset of questionnaires at each study session.

Eligibility criteria:
inclusion criteria: patients will be eligible if they * are at least 18 years old * have a diagnosis of infertility * speak english * are not already participating in individual therapy. exclusion criteria: patients will be excluded from the study if they * endorse current suicidality and/ or self-harming behavior * current psychosis symptoms * and/ or current substance use

Keywords: infertility psychological flexibility acceptance and commitment therapy