Boholano couples without a child: Exploring causes, psychosocial contexts and coping mechanisms

• Main Author: Silagan, Gary Val Angalot
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 1999
• Subjects: Childlessness; Infertility; Married people; Coping behavior
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_masteral/2008
• Institution: De La Salle University

The study explores the perceptions on the causes and psycho-social contexts of involuntary childlessness culled from the lived experiences of nine childless couples who were selected to represent three categories of reproductive ages in Tagbilaran City, Bohol.Utilizing both quantitative and qualitative methods of data gathering such as referrals, screening and semi-structured face-to-face interview, the study also examined the couples' health seeking behavior, their coping mechanisms and support system. Furthermore, five public health personnel were also interviewed to determine as to how the public health system deals with the issue of infertility.Results showed that even though the couple respondents have diverse socio-economic and demographic profile, the inability to sire a child proved to be a difficult situation for them. There were couple respondents who expressed feelings of fear, frustration, disappointment and depression. While for others, there was a feeling of guilt believing that they could have been punished for known or unknown misdeeds. Indeed, childlessness has influence in their self-perception, marital relationship, relationship with significant others and to a certain extent, their status or standing in the community. Respondents gained recognition of their reproductive problem only after marriage. As they became aware of their condition, the causes of their childlessness were attributed to both biomedical factors and supernatural phenomenon. Findings also revealed that the younger couples (21-30 years old) were not keen at seeking early consultation. Whenever consultation took place, the respondents approached the doctor but oftentimes sought second opinion from the hilots or the untrained birth attendants. On top of this, medical treatments were employed in combination with remedies mostly traditional in character. Some also performed certain rituals like joining religious festivities or experimenting on various sex techniques. The level of acceptance of being childless was greater among the older couple respondents. Each couple has their own way of coping with their childless situation and usually seek support from people closest to them in order to overcome feelings of isolation.The interview conducted among the public health personnel yielded mixed reaction in viewing infertility as a public health problem taking into account that the situation at hand was considered a private matter that has to be resolved only by the couple themselves. With the available facilities and resources, information-education was perceived to be the most appropriate and viable means to address infertility.Implication of the results pointed out the need for further study and a deeper understanding of the complexities surrounding childlessness. Appropriate mechanisms have to be devised and processed so that support for the infertile couples can be facilitated especially from the public health sector. Any assistance rendered does not have to be purely technical as there are facets about infertility that need to be explored and addressed upon thus enabling the couples to make other positive choices in life.