Fertility and Sterility
Volume 91, Issue 2 , Pages 387-394 , February 2009

Well-being and relationship satisfaction of couples dealing with an in vitro fertilization/ intracytoplasmic sperm injection procedure: a multilevel approach on the role of self-criticism, dependency, and romantic attachment

  • Benedicte Lowyck, Ph.D.

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
    • Corresponding Author InformationReprint requests: Benedicte Lowyck, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, University of Leuven, Tiensestraat 102, 3000 Leuven, Belgium (FAX: +32-16-325920).
  • ,
  • Patrick Luyten, Ph.D.

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
  • ,
  • Jozef Corveleyn, Ph.D.

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
  • ,
  • Thomas D'Hooghe, M.D., Ph.D.

      Affiliations

    • University Hospital Gasthuisberg, Leuven University Fertility Centre, Leuven, Belgium
  • ,
  • Evelien Buyse, Ph.D.

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
  • ,
  • Koen Demyttenaere, M.D., Ph.D.

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
    • University Hospital Gasthuisberg, Leuven University Fertility Centre, Leuven, Belgium
    • Department of Psychiatry, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

Received 14 September 2007 ,Revised 14 November 2007 ,Accepted 16 November 2007.

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 B.L. has nothing to disclose. P.L. has nothing to disclose. J.C. has nothing to disclose. T.D. has received research funding from Merck-Serono, Pfizer, Ferring, and Organon. E.B. has nothing to disclose. K.D. has received honoraria from Boehringer Ingleheim, Eli Lilly, Lundbeck, and Wyeth.

PII: S0015-0282(07)04114-3

doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2007.11.052

Fertility and Sterility
Volume 91, Issue 2 , Pages 387-394 , February 2009