Abstract
BackgroundGiven the limited research into men’s experiences of being present at childbirth this study explored the experiences of fathers who found childbirth traumatic. The aim of the research was to investigate how men coped with these experiences; the impact on their lives; and their views on what may have helped to reduce distress.MethodsParticipants were recruited via websites relating to birth trauma and parenthood. A consent and screening questionnaire was used to ensure that participants met the inclusion criteria of: being resident in the UK; being 16 years or older; having been present at the birth and answering yes to the question “At some point during the childbirth I experienced feelings of intense fear, helplessness or horror”. Semi-structured telephone interviews were completed with 11 fathers who reported finding childbirth traumatic. Participants also completed the Impact of Event Scale as a measure of trauma symptoms. Template Analysis was used to analyse the interview data.ResultsChildbirth was experienced as “a rollercoaster of emotion” because of the speed and unexpectedness of events. Men described fears of death, mirroring their partner’s distress; trying ‘to keep it together’ and helplessly watching a catastrophe unfold. Fathers felt themselves abandoned by staff with a lack of information. Men were subsequently distressed and preoccupied with the birth events but tended to feel that their responses were unjustified and tried to cope through avoidance. Men described the need for support but reluctance to receive it.ConclusionsFathers may experience extreme distress as a result of childbirth which is exacerbated by aspects of current maternity care. Maternity services need to be aware of the potential impacts of fathers’ attendance at childbirth and attend to fathers’, as well as mothers’, emotional responses.
Highlights
Given the limited research into men’s experiences of being present at childbirth this study explored the experiences of fathers who found childbirth traumatic
This study provides new information concerning the nature of men’s experiences when they have found being present a childbirth traumatic; what factors contribute to the experience of childbirth as traumatic; and the consequences for them and their families
The Impact of Event Scale (IES) [19] is not diagnostic, it is not possible to state whether any of the participants would meet the criteria for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD); ; most participants reported probable clinically significant symptoms and, regardless of symptomatology, all men reported distress that had subsequent impact on their lives
Summary
Given the limited research into men’s experiences of being present at childbirth this study explored the experiences of fathers who found childbirth traumatic. Qualitative literature into men’s attendance at routine childbirth has identified that they experience uncertainty about their role in the labour setting, feelings of helplessness at the inability to support the partner in pain, but joy at the birth of a healthy child (e.g., [14, 15]); there is little research on the lived experience of men who have found attendance at childbirth traumatic. Nicholls and Ayers [16] studied the impact of PTSD on couples’ relationships, which included three men who had PTSD following childbirth They found factors about the birth itself – such as that perceived lack of control over the events taking place - and a lack of care from staff contributed to the experience of trauma and that couples’ relationships were negatively affected by the impact of the birth events
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