title: Becoming a father to a stillborn child.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to identify and describe the reaction of fathers to a stillborn child. Because little research has been done on this topic, an exploratory descriptive study was conducted. Eight fathers who had experienced a stillborn child were interviewed in-depth within the first 5 years following the death. Although the fathers exhibited grief reactions and behaviors such as shock, denial, anger, and acceptance, it was evident that taking on a fathering role was of central importance. The basic social process that the fathers in this study experienced was becoming a father to the stillborn child. The fathers were trying to assume a fathering role while they were grieving the death of their child. Understanding the process of becoming a father to a stillborn child is of value to health care professionals when considering ways to help fathers who have experienced such a loss.
authors.affiliation: Department of Education & Staff Development, IWK Grace Health Center for Children, Women, and Families, Haltfax, Nova Scotia.
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Worth
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001293:Attitude to Death; D004644:Emotions; D005220:Fathers / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005313:Fetal Death; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D011247:Pregnancy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires