Mother-in-law Syndrome and Locus of Control as Indicators of Somatisation among Igbo women with fertility challenges

Abstract

This study tested the influence of mother-in-law syndrome and locus of control on somatisation among Igbo women with fertility challenges. The participants consisted of 124 women battling infertility who were drawn from outpatient Gynaecology Departments of Enugu State University Teaching Hospital, Parklane Enugu, Enugu State and Police General Hospital, Amakohia Owerri, Imo State, respectively using a purposive sampling technique. Out of the 124 participants, 34 were businesswomen, while 90 were civil servants. Their ages ranged from 25-60 years, mean age = 36.29, while their marital age ranges from 2-30 years. The study employed four main instruments to collect data: the Mother In-Law Syndrome Index, Enugu Somatisation Scale, and Locus of Control Scale. This study employed a cross-sectional survey design, and binary logistic regression analysis was used for data analysis. Results showed that mother-in-law syndrome increases somatic complaints among women with fertility challenges while locus of control does not significantly predict somatic complaints among married women with fertility challenges. This implies that the negative attitude of mothers-in-law contributes to high somatic complaints among women with fertility challenges, while locus of control does not contribute much to somatisation among women with fertility challenges.