Exploring infertile couple's characteristics and resources through the matching.

Infertility has become one of the most actual problems for nowdays couples: the World Health Organization (WHO), estimates that there are 60-80 millions of infertile couples all over the world (Dillu et al., 2013). This has increased the interest of researchers in medical field and in that psychological too. According to the last one, infertility is quiet a widely documented phenomenon in the international literature, that has been focused on the gender differences in experiencing infertility (Drosdzol et al., 2009) and on other facts regarding treatment (Peterson et al., 2011). Infertility is and remains a dyadic phenomenon (Olafsdottir et al., 2012), because independently who of the partners is the bearer of the dysfunction, it influences both partners (Fisher et al., 2012). In line with this theoretical and empirical interest, the present research is focussed on the infertile couple, considering it as a unique unit of measurement, to analyze the changes on the relationship quality, sexual and social life of the couple itself. Another point of interest is the decisional process, that is considered as a determinant element for the couple that has to find a solution for the problem. The theoretical framework of this research is the attachment theory. Since attachment is a dimension/construct that is part of the human being during life circle (Bowlby, 1979) in the present project, is analyzed the protective role of the attachment in the challenges that infertility faces the couples. The ultimate aim is to individuate some typical elements of the infertile couples dynamics that can be used to help the couple dealing with the infertility. The sample consisted infertile couples (experimental sample), recruited in numerous centers and hospitals of Assisted Medical Procreation (AMP) and fertile couples (comparing sample), recruited in numerous nurseries in nord Italy. In the line with the literature we expected that infertile couples confronting with fertile couples had on average lower scores regarding couple’s dyadic adjustment, sexuality and social disclosure. According to the decision making style, we aspected that the decision making style characterizing the infertile couple was the rational one and that it would not be differences between fertile and infertile couples. Regarding to attachment, it was aspected that a secure style of attachment would be correlated with higher points in dyadic adjustment, sexuality, social disclosure, rational decision making style per both the samples. Data analyses has partially confirmed our expectations. We founded in average, higher points in infertile couples regarding the dyadic couple’s adjustment, sexuality and social disclosure. Regarding decision making style, data analyzes has confirmed our expectations showing that rational decision making style is used by both the samples and that is correlated with hight points on dyadic adjustment, sexuality and social disclosure. Regarding attachment, data analyze has shown that the sicure attachment is predictive of a good couple’s dyadic adjustment, conceptualization of the sexuality and an opening toward the social network.