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The fathers experience of grief after a stillbirth
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2020.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2020
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| _version_ | 1867614133223948288 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Swart, Ashwill Denzill |
| author2 | Green, Sulina |
| author_browse | Green, Sulina Swart, Ashwill Denzill |
| author_facet | Green, Sulina Swart, Ashwill Denzill |
| author_sort | Swart, Ashwill Denzill |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2020. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/108120 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:47:10.728Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2020 |
| publishDateRange | 2020 |
| publishDateSort | 2020 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/108120 The fathers experience of grief after a stillbirth Swart, Ashwill Denzill Green, Sulina Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Social Work. Grief in men -- Counseling of Stillbirth -- Psychological aspects Grief Emotions in men UCTD Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2020. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: A stillbirth is regarded as a devastating event for any parent and usually results in deep sorrow for them. This phenomenon is on the increase in South Africa with approximately 20 000 stillbirths reported annually. Statistics on the prevalence of stillbirths in the Western Cape Province indicate that approximately 14.6 percent of stillbirths occurred between 2003 and 2006. While the grief process of mothers after a stillbirth has been widely researched, the experience of fathers has been neglected, and even if it was included in a study, it was still not the primary aim of the study. Therefore, the research question for this study was “How do fathers grief after the experience of a stillbirth? Consequently, the aim of the study was to gain an understanding of the grieving process of fathers after their experience of a stillbirth. To achieve the aim of the study the following four objectives were formulated. To discuss the causes and consequences of stillbirth as medical phenomenon; to discuss the nature and extend of the grieving process of fathers after a stillbirth according to appropriate theoretical viewpoints; to investigate the grieving process of fathers after a stillbirth; and to make recommendations relating to the experience of the father’s grief process after a stillbirth based on the findings of the study. A qualitative research approach was employed combined with an exploratory and descriptive research design to investigate and describe the phenomenon being studied, namely the grief process of the father after a stillbirth. Ten fathers who experienced a stillbirth were involved in the study by means of a purposive sample. Data was gathered by means of a semi-structured interview schedule that was administered during individual interviews. Key findings of the study were that fathers experienced grief after a stillbirth in isolation, as they do not openly express their emotions. This included the father’s experience that culture, gender stereotypes, views of the church and religious community and the attitude of the professional hospital staff towards the father influenced his grief process. The findings also highlight those fathers made their wives or partners and living children their focus, which contributed to the postponement of their own grief and resorted to their destructive coping mechanisms. Fathers in the study expressed a need for support from professional hospital staff and found that counselling from the social worker was of significance in dealing with their grief. In the light of the findings, it is recommended that their wives or partners, society, cultural beliefs and religious communities, should acknowledge the fathers’ grief after the experience of a stillbirth, as it will allow them to openly grief. Professional hospital staff should design and implement support programmes that suit the specific needs of fathers whom grief after a stillbirth. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: ‘n Stilgeboorte word deur enige ouer beskou as ‘n rampspoedige gebeurtenis wat swaar verdriet vir hulle meebirng. Hierdie verskynsel is aan die toeneem in Suid-Afrika met ongeveer 20 000 stilgeboortes wat jaarliks rapporteer word. Stasistiek oor die voorkoms van stilgeboortes in die Wes-Kaap Provinsie dui aan dat ongeveer 14.6 persent van stilgeboortes voorgekom het tussen 2003 en 2006. Terwyl die rouproses van moeders na ‘n stilgeboorte wyd nagevors is, is die ervaring van vaders verwaarloos, en selfs wanneer dit ingesluit is in ‘n studie was dit steeds nie die hoofdoel van die studie nie. Derhalwe was die navorsingsvraag vir die studie: “Hoe rou vaders na die ervaring van ‘n stilgeboorte?” Gevolglik was die doel van die studie om begrip te ontwikkel vir die rouproses van vaders na hulle ervaring van ‘n stilgeboorte. Om die doel van die studie te bereik is die volgende vier doelwitte geformuleer. Om die oorsake en gevolge van’n stilgeboorte as mediese verskynsel te bespreek; om die die aard en omvang van die rouproses van vaders na ‘n stilgeboorte te bespreek ooreenkomstig toepaslike teoretiese uitgangspunte; om die rouproses van vaders na ‘n stilgeboorte te ondersoek, en om, gebaseer op die bevindinge van die studie, aanbevelings te maak oor die ervaring van die vader se rouproses na ‘n stilgeboorte. ‘n Kwalitatiewe navorsingsbenadering is in kombinasie met ‘n verkennende en beskrywende navorsingsontwerp gebruik om die verskynsel wat bestudeer word, naamlik die rouposes van vaders na ‘n stilgeboorte, te ondersoek en te beskryf. Tien vaders wat ‘n stilgeboorte ervaar het, is met behulp van ‘n doelbewuste steekproef by die studie betrek. Data is ingesamel met behulp van ‘n semi-gestruktureerde onderhoudskedule wat geadministreer is tydens individuele onderhoude. Sleutelbevindinge van die studie was dat vaders na ‘n stilgeboorte in isolasie rou omdat hulle nie hulle emosies openlik uitdruk nie. Dit sluit in dat vaders ervaar dat kultuur, geslag stereotipering, sienings van die kerk, die religieuse gemeenskap en die houding van professionele hospitaalpersoneel teenoor die vader sy rouproses beïnvloed. Die bevindinge beklemtoon ook dat vaders hulle fokus op hulle eggenotes of lewensmaats en lewende kinders geplaas het wat bygedra het tot die uitstel van hulle eie rou en wat neerslag gevind het in destruktiewe hanteringsmeganismes. Vaders in die studie het hulle behoefte aan die ondersteuning van hospitaalpersoneel uitgespreek en hulle het die berading van maatskaplike werkers betekenisvol gevind in die hantering van hulle rou. In die lig van die bevindinge word aanbeveel dat die eggenotes of lewensmaats, kulturele gebruike en religieuse gemeenskappe die rou van ‘n vader na die ervaring van ‘n stilgeboorte moet erken omdat dit hulle sal toelaat om openlik te rou. Professionele hospitaalpersoneel behoort ondersteuningsprogramme te ontwerp en implimenteer wat gerig is op die spesifieke behoeftes van die vader wat rou na ‘n stilgeboorte. Masters 2020-02-24T07:37:39Z 2020-04-28T12:20:21Z 2020-02-24T07:37:39Z 2020-04-28T12:20:21Z 2020-03 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/108120 en Stellenbosch University xv, 160 leaves : illustrations (some color) application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Grief in men -- Counseling of Stillbirth -- Psychological aspects Grief Emotions in men UCTD Swart, Ashwill Denzill The fathers experience of grief after a stillbirth |
| title | The fathers experience of grief after a stillbirth |
| title_full | The fathers experience of grief after a stillbirth |
| title_fullStr | The fathers experience of grief after a stillbirth |
| title_full_unstemmed | The fathers experience of grief after a stillbirth |
| title_short | The fathers experience of grief after a stillbirth |
| title_sort | fathers experience of grief after a stillbirth |
| topic | Grief in men -- Counseling of Stillbirth -- Psychological aspects Grief Emotions in men UCTD |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/108120 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT swartashwilldenzill thefathersexperienceofgriefafterastillbirth AT swartashwilldenzill fathersexperienceofgriefafterastillbirth |