Abstract: Objective: To explore the dyadic coping and emotion regulation experience of infertile couples in family environment, so as to provide reference for the development of targeted intervention strategies. Methods: Purposive sampling was used to recruit infertile patients and their spouses who visited the Reproductive Center of a tertiary grade A hospital from November to December 2022. The adjustment process of emotion and environment in the family space was explored through family interview emotion map. Data were analyzed by using the grounded theory. Results: Three core concepts, Stress communication process based on family space, Dyadic coping with space separation and Dyadic coping with space sharing, were proposed according to the three-level coding of grounded theory. Conclusion: As a key social physical environment, family has a profound impact on environmental and emotion self-regulation and dyadic coping when one partner experiences illness. Medical staff should attach importance to the mediating effect of family space on dyadic coping and emotion regulation of infertile patients and their spouses, and develop coping intervention strategies based on spatial perspective, so that they can better face the disease and improve their clinical outcomes.

Key words: infertility; family space; dyadic coping; emotion regulation; environmental psychology; qualitative research; grounded theory