Paternal Experiences of Perinatal Loss—A Scoping Review

Abstract

Perinatal grief is one of the most complex and devastating types of mourning for both mothers and fathers; however, there is still little research on the psychological impact on men who experience it. Therefore, the objective of this study was to summarize and synthetize the existing literature on the way men's grief is experienced. A search was carried out to examine three databases for articles published in the last four years; 56 articles were obtained, and 12 were retained for analysis. Four common themes were found: the men's experience of grief, their role as fathers, the impact of the death, and their needs regarding grief and how to face it. There is also a need for discussion of the importance of validating perinatal grief in men and studies that examine it without social gender stigmas in order to provide them with effective emotional support.