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Personal Growth and Life Satisfaction during Fertility Treatment—A Comparison between Arab and Jewish Women

Author

Listed:
  • Salam Abu-Sharkia

    (The Louis and Gabi Weisfeld School of Social Work, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel)

  • Orit Taubman - Ben-Ari

    (The Louis and Gabi Weisfeld School of Social Work, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel)

  • Ali Mofareh

    (Clalit Health Services (Kupat Holim Clalit), Jerusalem 9112102, Israel)

Abstract

Coping with difficulty conceiving and the ensuing fertility treatments is a stressful experience that impacts many aspects of women’s lives. On the basis of Lazarus and Folkman’s model of stress and coping and Schaefer and Moos’s model of personal growth, and in view of the sparse literature on cultural aspects of infertility and personal growth, this study examined the relationship between stress on the one hand and personal growth and life satisfaction on the other among Arab and Jewish Israeli women. Furthermore, it investigated the moderating role played by perceived stigma, coping flexibility, cultural orientation (individualism and collectivism), and ethnicity. Two hundred five Arab and Jewish Israeli women undergoing fertility treatment completed self-report questionnaires. The results show that Arab women reported higher levels of personal growth and individualism than Jewish women. In the whole sample, a linear negative relationship was found between stress and life satisfaction, and a curvilinear relationship was found between stress and personal growth. In addition, perceived stigma, collectivism, individualism, and coping flexibility were found to moderate the association between perceived stress and personal growth. The findings provide further understanding of personal growth in the context of infertility, showing that personal resources and perceptions are more important than cultural differences in this regard.

Suggested Citation

  • Salam Abu-Sharkia & Orit Taubman - Ben-Ari & Ali Mofareh, 2023. "Personal Growth and Life Satisfaction during Fertility Treatment—A Comparison between Arab and Jewish Women," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-20, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:3:p:2187-:d:1046701
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. E. Huebner & Rich Gilman & James Laughlin, 1999. "A Multimethod Investigation of the Multidimensionality of Children's Well-Being Reports: Discriminant Validity of Life Satisfaction and Self-Esteem," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 46(1), pages 1-22, January.
    2. Gal Rozen & Orit Taubman – Ben-Ari & Tzipora Strauss & Iris Morag, 2018. "Personal Growth of Mothers of Preterms: Objective Severity of the Event, Subjective Stress, Personal Resources, and Maternal Emotional Support," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 19(7), pages 2167-2186, October.
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