Implementing creative methods in baby loss research: Exploring stillbirth bereaved parents’ journeys through collage

Abstract

Grieving the loss of a baby may feel excruciatingly painful for parents. The rate of stillbirth in the United Kingdom is approximately eight babies per day. However, the rate of stillbirth disproportionally affects Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) families. This paper explores an ongoing doctoral project which incorporates collage-making as a creative method to explore how BAME stillbirth bereaved parents access bereavement support. Creative methods may generate findings that can better reach public audiences to spark transformational change. Collage is a visual interpretive tool that is generally accessible to the public. Collages are often created by selecting images from magazines or newspapers or textured paper mediums, where the participants cut or alters the images and arranges and attaches them to mediums such as cardboard or paper. Incorporating collage in research can serve as a useful method when engaging with participants who are perhaps not comfortable communicating their thoughts about sensitive subjects. In addition to using collage as a creative research method, this study also features collage as a reflexive tool. Collage is an efficient tool for uncovering what is not said out loud about grief, but which is very much present within a grieving person. Breaking the silence and sharing the loss of a child through creative methods enhances the understanding of the experience of perinatal loss and provides a voice to those who would otherwise remain unheard.