Coping Strategies of Clients with Fertility Challenges Attending Obstetric and Gynaecological Clinic of University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Borno State, North Eastern Nigeria

This study was on coping strategies of clients with fertility challenges attending Obstetric and Gynaecological clinic of University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital. The objectives of the study were to ascertain the use of escape/avoidance coping strategy by couples with fertility challenges, determine the use of self-controlling coping strategy by couples with fertility challenges, determine if couples with fertility challenges use social seeking support as a coping strategy and assess if couples with fertility challenges use positive reappraisal as a coping strategy. Descriptive design was used for the study. 232 respondents were selected using purposive sampling technique. The instrument for data collection was adapted from Folkman and Lazarus ways of coping. The face and content validity were determined by a psychologist and a consultant in Obstetric and Gynaecological clinic in UMTH. The results were presented in tables as percentages, means and standard deviation. Pearson Chi-square and Fisher’s Exact test were used to determine the association between coping strategies based on gender at 0.05level of significance. Major findings of the study revealed that males used most coping strategies than the females. The analysis shows 57% of males and 31.1% of females drink and smokes and indulges in drugs as escape/avoidance coping strategy. There was significant difference in the used of escape/avoidance strategy (P=0.000). Similarly, there was significant difference in the use of self-controlling coping strategy as P=0.000, where 79.2% of males and 50.3% of females avoid people who trouble them about pregnancy and children. However, there was no significant difference in the use of social seeking support as 75% of males and 92.2% of females ask people with similar problem for advice with P=0.080. In the same vein, 64.9% of males and 89.2% of females used praying to God to change the situation as a positive reappraisal coping strategy with P=0.087. In conclusion, escape/avoidance and Self-control coping strategies were used more by men and there was no difference in use of social seeking support and positive reappraisal coping strategies. It was recommended that clients should use more of positive coping strategies like social seeking support and positive reappraisal to cope with the challenges of infertility.