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. 2022 May 24;22(1):434.
doi: 10.1186/s12884-022-04738-4.

"It's a lot of pain you've got to hide": a qualitative study of the journey of fathers facing traumatic pregnancy and childbirth

A Kothari  1   2 , G Bruxner  3 , L Callaway  4   5 , J M Dulhunty  6   4   5
Affiliations

"It's a lot of pain you've got to hide": a qualitative study of the journey of fathers facing traumatic pregnancy and childbirth

A Kothari et al. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. .

Abstract

Background: This study aims to explore the emotional and behavioural responses and coping strategies of fathers or expectant fathers who faced a significant traumatic event during a partner's pregnancy, labour, or the postpartum period.

Methods: This prospective qualitative study of 24 fathers was conducted at a public teaching hospital in Brisbane, Australia. 'Traumatic pregnancy' was defined as a pregnancy complicated by life-threatening or severe risk to the mother and the fetus, termination of pregnancy, intrauterine fetal death or stillbirth. Semi-structured interviews of participants were conducted 3-4 months after the traumatic event. An initial qualitative analysis with automatic coding was performed using Leximancer and later followed by a six-phase manual thematic analysis.

Results: A pregnancy-related traumatic event had significant mental and physical impacts on fathers. Participants' reactions and coping strategies were varied and influenced by their background history, pre-existing vulnerabilities, and the gap between expectation and reality. Most fathers described a fluctuating state between their needs 'not being met' and 'being met'. These needs were conceptualised using Maslow's hierarchy and Calman's gap theory to construct a composite thematic model to depict the universal requirements of men facing a traumatic pregnancy or childbirth.

Conclusions: A greater understanding of the needs of men and gaps in their care is urgently needed. A targeted effort is required to make maternity services father-inclusive. This approach may assist in preventing long term consequences on fathers, partners, and their children.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author(s) declare no potential conflicts of interest. This manuscript is part of a larger body of work – a PhD on ‘Forgotten Fathers: the role of men in the journey through pregnancy and childbirth’ for the principal author (AK) for the University of Queensland, Australia.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Leximancer generated concept map of the qualitative data
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Final thematic map of the impact of an adverse pregnancy event on men’s needs
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Participant needs and gaps (unmet needs)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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