The experience of mothers and fathers in cases of stillbirth in Spain. A qualitative study

Martínez-Serrano, Paloma; Pedraz‐Marcos, Azucena; Muñoz, Montserrat Solís; Santos, Ana María Palmar

doi:10.1016/j.midw.2019.06.013

Cited by 18 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Some families reported that there were people who shunned them and avoided talking about the subject, since this grief is different from other types of loss: no flowers are given, no cards are offered, there are no visits and there are no religious rituals to validate the grief [25]. However, making this problem visible and raising awareness in society may be important for parents [80,81].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Perinatal Death on the Social and Family Context of the Parents

Fernández‐Sola

Camacho-Ávila

Hernández‐Padilla

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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Background: Perinatal death (PD) is a painful experience, with physical, psychological and social consequences in families. Each year, there are 2.7 million perinatal deaths in the world and about 2000 in Spain. The aim of this study was to explore, describe and understand the impact of perinatal death on parents’ social and family life. Methods: A qualitative study based on Gadamer’s hermeneutic phenomenology was used. In-depth interviews were conducted with 13 mothers and eight fathers who had suffered a perinatal death. Inductive analysis was used to find themes based on the data. Results: Seven sub-themes emerged, and they were grouped into two main themes: 1) perinatal death affects family dynamics, and 2) the social environment of the parents is severely affected after perinatal death. Conclusions: PD impacts the family dynamics of the parents and their family, social and work environments. Parents perceive that society trivializes their loss and disallows or delegitimizes their grief. Implications: Social care, health and education providers should pay attention to all family members who have suffered a PD. The recognition of the loss within the social and family environment would help the families to cope with their grief.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Perinatal Death on the Social and Family Context of the Parents

Fernández‐Sola

Camacho-Ávila

Hernández‐Padilla

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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“…One of the main themes found in most of the articles was the impact on and response of men when they learned of the death of their baby, regardless of whether it occurred during the pregnancy or the neonatal period [ 5 , 9 , 11 , 15 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 22 , 23 ]. Some frequently reported reactions included shock caused by the unexpected news; pain caused by the loss; feelings of sadness, helplessness, and hopelessness; and a feeling of emptiness [ 5 , 19 , 23 ]. Most fathers agreed that they felt compelled to repress and control these feelings in order to meet the social expectations of them as men.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Paternal Experiences of Perinatal Loss—A Scoping Review

Mota

Sánchez

Carreño

et al. 2023

IJERPH

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Background: Perinatal grief is one of the most complex and devastating types of mourning for both mothers and fathers; however, there is still little research on the psychological impact on men who experience it. Therefore, the objective of this study was to summarize and synthetize the existing literature on the way men’s grief is experienced. Methods: A search was carried out to examine three databases for articles published in the last four years; 56 articles were obtained, and 12 were retained for analysis. Results: Four common themes were found: the men’s experience of grief, their role as fathers, the impact of the death, and their needs regarding grief and how to face it. Conclusions: There is also a need for discussion of the importance of validating perinatal grief in men and studies that examine it without social gender stigmas in order to provide them with effective emotional support.

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“…Research has been carried out on the physical [6], psychological [7], and social [32] consequences of antenatal death on fathers. However, there is a lack of research on how the grief for an antenatal death has repercussions on sexuality and masculinity from the fathers' own experience [33][34][35]. Thus, the aim of this study is to understand the fathers' experience of affective-sexual relationships after a grieving process for an antenatal death.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexuality and affectivity after a grieving process for an antenatal death: a qualitative study of fathers' experiences

2023

Journal of Men's Health

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The loss of an infant at the prenatal stage is one of the most traumatic events parents can experience. Prenatal losses have several negative implications for parents’ physical, psychological, and social well-being, including intimacy and sexuality. Fathers who suffer from this experience have to cope not only with their grief, but also with the physical and emotional suffering of their partners. The social context gives the father a masculine role of strength, insensitivity, and protection of the mother, with the result that his pain and grief become invisible. The objective of this study is to understand fathers’ experience of affective-sexual relationships after a grieving process for an antenatal death; A qualitative study based on interviews with 11 fathers in Spain who have experienced an antenatal death was conducted. Data were analyzed with the help of ATLAS.ti software to discover emerging themes. 6 sub-themes were developed from the analysis, grouped into two main themes: the invisibility of grieving fathers and the relationships between the grieving parents are influenced by the death of their infants. The sexuality of fathers who suffer an antenatal death is altered. Gender stereotypes and the lack of social and professional awareness make their grief invisible. Fathers need to express their emotions to cope with their own grief and break the stereotypical gendered bereavement. In most cases, the couple’s relationship is altered, from a close union to a more distant relationship, in addition to a decrease in sexual desire and arousal. However, other fathers experienced greater closeness and intimacy in the couple. A communication based on sincerity, exposing their own grief, feelings, emotions and needs could help the couple’s relationship.

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The experience of mothers and fathers in cases of stillbirth in Spain. A qualitative study

Cited by 18 publications

References 40 publications

Impact of Perinatal Death on the Social and Family Context of the Parents

Impact of Perinatal Death on the Social and Family Context of the Parents

Paternal Experiences of Perinatal Loss—A Scoping Review

Sexuality and affectivity after a grieving process for an antenatal death: a qualitative study of fathers' experiences

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