Voices of the unheard: A qualitative survey exploring bereaved parents experiences of stillbirth stigma

Pollock, Danielle; Pearson, Elissa; Cooper, Megan; Ziaian, Tahereh; Foord, Claire; Warland, Jane

doi:10.1016/j.wombi.2019.03.002

Cited by 41 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Strengths, limitations and future research Previous research involving bereaved parents has noted di culties in representing men's perspectives, with female participants, more often than not, outweighing men [7,9,92,100]. This study is one of the largest samples of men to have been surveyed on their experiences of grief following pregnancy loss and neonatal death in Australia.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Factors Contributing to Men’s Grief Following Pregnancy Loss and Neonatal Death: Further Development of an Emerging Model in an Australian Sample

Obst

Oxlad

Due

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background: Historically, men’s experiences of grief following pregnancy loss and neonatal death have been under-explored in comparison to women. However, investigating men’s perspectives is important, given potential gendered differences concerning grief styles, help-seeking and service access. Few studies have comprehensively examined the various individual, interpersonal, community and system/policy-level factors which may contribute to the intensity of grief in bereaved parents, particularly for men. Methods: Men (N = 228) who had experienced an ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, stillbirth, termination of pregnancy for foetal anomaly, or neonatal death within the last 20 years responded to an online survey exploring their experiences of grief. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to examine the factors associated with men’s grief intensity and style. Results: Men experienced significant grief across all loss types, with the average score sitting above the minimum cut-off considered to be a high degree of grief. Eight factors significantly contributed to men’s grief: type of loss experienced, their age at the time of loss, loss history, marital satisfaction, availability of social support, acknowledgement of their grief from family/friends, time spent bonding with the baby during pregnancy, and feeling as though their role of ‘supporter’ conflicted with their grief process. Factors contributing to grief also differed depending on grief style. Intuitive (emotion-focused) grief was associated with viewing an ultrasound during pregnancy, ethnicity, and support received from healthcare professionals. Instrumental (activity-focused) grief was associated with time and quality of attachment to the baby during pregnancy, availability of social support, acknowledgement of men’s grief from their female partner, supporter role interfering with their grief, and tendencies toward self-reliance.Conclusions: Following pregnancy loss and neonatal death, men can experience high levels of grief, requiring acknowledgement and validation from all healthcare professionals, family/friends, community networks and workplaces. Addressing male-specific needs, such as balancing a desire to both support and be supported, requires tailored information and support. Strategies to support men should consider grief styles and draw upon father-inclusive practice recommendations. Further research is required to explore the underlying causal mechanisms of associations found.Trial registration: N/A

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Factors Contributing to Men’s Grief Following Pregnancy Loss and Neonatal Death: Further Development of an Emerging Model in an Australian Sample

Obst

Oxlad

Due

et al. 2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This taboo and undervaluation of grief was perceived by the mothers and fathers in the study when they received comments that trivialized their pain. This made this type of grief invisible, increasing the sensation of stigma [78,79]. 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].…”

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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“…Previous research involving bereaved parents has noted difficulties in representing men's perspectives, with female participants more often than not outweighing men [7,9,93,101]. This study is one of the largest samples of men to have been surveyed on their experiences of grief following pregnancy loss and neonatal death in Australia.…”

Section: Strengths Limitations and Future Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The pervasive psychological and emotional impacts of parents' grief following pregnancy loss and neonatal death are now well-recognised [1][2][3][4]. Parents frequently report experiences of stigma, shame and disenfranchisement through minimisation of their loss from others, which can complicate their grief [5][6][7][8][9]. Men's experiences of pregnancy loss and neonatal death have been under-explored in comparison to women.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors contributing to men’s grief following pregnancy loss and neonatal death: further development of an emerging model in an Australian sample

Obst

Oxlad

Due

et al. 2021

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth

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Background Historically, men’s experiences of grief following pregnancy loss and neonatal death have been under-explored in comparison to women. However, investigating men’s perspectives is important, given potential gendered differences concerning grief styles, help-seeking and service access. Few studies have comprehensively examined the various individual, interpersonal, community and system/policy-level factors which may contribute to the intensity of grief in bereaved parents, particularly for men. Methods Men (N = 228) aged at least 18 years whose partner had experienced an ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, stillbirth, termination of pregnancy for foetal anomaly, or neonatal death within the last 20 years responded to an online survey exploring their experiences of grief. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to examine the factors associated with men’s grief intensity and style. Results Men experienced significant grief across all loss types, with the average score sitting above the minimum cut-off considered to be a high degree of grief. Men’s total grief scores were associated with loss history, marital satisfaction, availability of social support, acknowledgement of their grief from family/friends, time spent bonding with the baby during pregnancy, and feeling as though their role of ‘supporter’ conflicted with their ability to process grief. Factors contributing to grief also differed depending on grief style. Intuitive (emotion-focused) grief was associated with support received from healthcare professionals. Instrumental (activity-focused) grief was associated with time and quality of attachment to the baby during pregnancy, availability of social support, acknowledgement of men’s grief from their female partner, supporter role interfering with their grief, and tendencies toward self-reliance. Conclusions Following pregnancy loss and neonatal death, men can experience high levels of grief, requiring acknowledgement and validation from all healthcare professionals, family/friends, community networks and workplaces. Addressing male-specific needs, such as balancing a desire to both support and be supported, requires tailored information and support. Strategies to support men should consider grief styles and draw upon father-inclusive practice recommendations. Further research is required to explore the underlying causal mechanisms of associations found.

show abstract

Voices of the unheard: A qualitative survey exploring bereaved parents experiences of stillbirth stigma

Cited by 41 publications

References 34 publications

Factors Contributing to Men’s Grief Following Pregnancy Loss and Neonatal Death: Further Development of an Emerging Model in an Australian Sample

Factors Contributing to Men’s Grief Following Pregnancy Loss and Neonatal Death: Further Development of an Emerging Model in an Australian Sample

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

Factors contributing to men’s grief following pregnancy loss and neonatal death: further development of an emerging model in an Australian sample

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