How to Look on the Bright Side (Part 2)

Last time I mentioned an "encouragement card" that another woman received from her clinic. Now, as they say, here's THE REST of the story!

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I've come to learn that the original card wasn't just one clinic's kind but quick attempt to be helpful. In fact, the card was carefully developed and evaluated as part of a double-blind study.

Researchers at Cardiff University in Wales were hoping to help women find effective ways to cope with the stress of IVF. The goal was to develop a "Positive Reappraisal Coping Intervention (PRCI)" card that was based on respected theories, inexpensive, simple to use, and generic enough to be used by other types of patients later. Here's what the researchers proposed:

"One meaning-based coping strategy that seems particularly likely to make (re)appraisal more positive is positive reappraisal coping, which may be understood as 'cognitive manoeuvres' or cognitive efforts ... that change the meaning of the situation. Finding positive meaning may involve appreciating the benefits that the situation has brought to one's life (e.g. closer relationships), comparing oneself more favourably with others who are less well off, or redefining the situation such that it seems more positive ... individuals may focus more on positive aspects of a situation rather than ruminating about (or conversely trying not to think about) negative and distressing aspects. Such efforts in the IVF context may involve focusing on the fact that the most advanced fertility treatment is being tried, or that a partner is especially loving and supportive."

The research subjects were women undergoing embryo transfer at a large urban hospital in the UK. Of the 55 women, 28 were given the PRCI card and 27 (the control group) were given a Positive Mood Induction (PMI) card. The women were instructed to read the cards at least two times a day during the 2WW, and then evaluate the cards' effectiveness. Here's the content of the two cards:

(source)

Sure enough, the PRCI was rated to be more helpful and suitable than the PMI, and to have more enduring effects. On the other hand, although the women rated the PRCI the highest of the two, their endorsement of it still seemed fairly lukewarm:

(source)

The researchers suggested that the PRCI may work because the "focus on positive aspects of the IVF experience" (using the PRCI) requires more cognitive processing than focusing on affirmations, which may or may not feel true to the individual (using the PMI).

When affirmations don't feel true, they may even be counter-productive. The researchers cautioned that the perceived benefits of the PRCI, in comparison to the PMI, may be due partly to this effect, and/or to the fact that the PRCI simply provides a distraction from worries.

Along with thinking of benefits and repeating affirmations, simple distraction is also a recognized coping strategy. While the researchers found the PRCI to be promising, they also allowed that different people prefer different coping methods.

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Coming next: my attempt to sum up a whoooole lot of thoughts and feelings about this study.