{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,26]],"date-time":"2026-06-26T16:48:17Z","timestamp":1782492497552,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":32,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,13]],"date-time":"2026-01-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1768262400000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":12,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["BMJ Open"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,5]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objectives<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Women experiencing infertility employed various coping strategies to overcome the diverse stressors encountered. These coping strategies had their peculiar consequences or outcomes. This study aimed to explore the outcomes deduced from the coping strategies employed by women with infertility.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Design<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The study employed a qualitative descriptive research design to gain an in-depth understanding of the outcomes of coping strategies used by women with infertility. In-depth interviews were conducted using a semi-structured interview guide.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Settings and participants<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The study was carried out at a private fertility and specialist hospital within the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, where 15 women diagnosed with primary infertility were interviewed for 45\u2009min to 1\u2009hour each. With all participants completing the study, interviews were audiotaped with consent, transcribed verbatim and analysed using content analysis.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The findings revealed that women with infertility used various coping strategies to mitigate the psychosocial stressors encountered. The coping strategies employed had a varying impact on the well-being of women with infertility, from long-term (physical health, mental health and life satisfaction) to short-term (composure and reduced state anxiety) coping outcomes. The result of the coping strategy employed had a varying impact on the well-being of women with infertility.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Women with infertility shared how they experienced good physical health, mental health and life satisfaction after employing adaptive coping strategies like seeking social support. They also shared how they exercised composure and had reduced state anxiety after using some maladaptive coping strategies, such as self-control and avoidance.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2025-108118","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,13]],"date-time":"2026-01-13T15:48:45Z","timestamp":1768319325000},"page":"e108118","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Coping outcomes among women living with infertility in Kumasi, Ghana: a qualitative study"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Lydia","family":"Konadu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Midwifery, Nursing and Midwifery Training College, Tepa, Ghana, Tepa, Ghana"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3633-366X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Josephine M","family":"Kyei","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Florence","family":"Naab","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Maternal and Child Health, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1196-7324","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Deborah","family":"Armah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Maternal and Child Health, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026062609052512000_16.1.e108118.1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"485","DOI":"10.1080\/02646838.2019.1650904","article-title":"Stigma, hopelessness and coping experiences of Turkish women with infertility","volume":"38","author":"Kaya","year":"2020","journal-title":"J Reprod Infant Psychol"},{"key":"2026062609052512000_16.1.e108118.2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"101065","DOI":"10.1016\/j.srhc.2025.101065","article-title":"\u201cCommunity members question me and flaunt their children before me\u201d: A call for psychosocial support for women with infertility in Northern Ghana","volume":"43","author":"Anabila Adda","year":"2025","journal-title":"Sex Reprod Healthc"},{"key":"2026062609052512000_16.1.e108118.3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"88","DOI":"10.1016\/j.rbms.2021.02.003","article-title":"Beliefs about children and the psychosocial implications of infertility on individuals seeking assisted fertilization in Ghana","volume":"12","author":"Kyei","year":"2021","journal-title":"Reprod Biomed Soc Online"},{"key":"2026062609052512000_16.1.e108118.4","unstructured":"WHO . Infertility prevalence estimates, 1990\u20132021. World Health Organization, 2023."},{"key":"2026062609052512000_16.1.e108118.5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1093\/hropen\/hoac051","article-title":"Infertility prevalence and the methods of estimation from 1990 to 2021: a systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"2022","author":"Cox","year":"2022","journal-title":"Hum Reprod Open"},{"key":"2026062609052512000_16.1.e108118.6","first-page":"43","article-title":"Infertility: Prevalence and consequences","volume":"10","author":"Obeagu","year":"2023","journal-title":"Int J Curr Res Chem Pharm Sci"},{"key":"2026062609052512000_16.1.e108118.7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1186\/s12978-025-01966-7","article-title":"Epidemiological characteristics of infertility, 1990-2021, and 15-year forecasts: an analysis based on the global burden of disease study 2021","volume":"22","author":"Feng","year":"2025","journal-title":"Reprod 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