Conference Proceedings - School of Nursing & Midwifery - Trinity ...

School of Nursing & Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin: 8 th Annual Interdisciplinary Research Conference
Transforming Healthcare Through Research, Education & Technology: 7 th – 9 th November 2007
Conference Proceedings
and behaviours during pregnancy and reproduction continue to
persist in some quarters and can influence attitudes during
professional consultations. Men’s health in this context must be
treated sensitively and empathetically. A greater awareness of the
syndrome is needed along with appreciation of the severity and
distress of its symptoms without being alarmist for men who
experience it. It may be that the syndrome is not an “illness” or
“disease” as the medical label suggests but rather an uncommon,
normal response to a major life event. Those men afflicted with the
syndrome might be reassured by the fact that the symptoms of the
syndrome are transitory and do not necessary reoccur in successive
pregnancies.
Conclusion
This is the second phase of a mixed methods study which sought to
investigate the incidence, severity, and distress and time course of
symptoms of the Couvade syndrome in an experimental group of
men with pregnant partners over the 1 st and 3 rd trimesters of
pregnancy and four weeks postpartum. This group was compared to
a control group of men whose partners were not pregnant over
comparative 3 and 6-month time periods. Results indicated a higher
incidence of physical symptoms associated with the Couvade
syndrome in the experimental group including those of a
gastrointestinal, genitourinary, dental, and musculo-skeletal nature.
A higher incidence of some psychological symptoms of the
syndrome was also evident in this group such as sleep disturbance,
mood disturbances, emotional affect and cognitive functioning also
associated with the syndrome. The incidence of those physical and
psychological symptoms which were similar between the groups
might suggest their occurrence in the general population or doubtful
association with the syndrome. The severity and distress for the
majority of physical and psychological symptoms were statistically
higher for men with pregnant partners compared to those whose
partners were not expectant. In the experimental group symptom
severity and distress for the majority of physical and many
psychological symptoms showed significant differences over time in
contrast to the control group which showed no significant
differences. No correlations were found to exist between sociodemographic
variables and symptom severity and distress for those
in the experimental group. The negative result may have arisen due
to the heterogeneity of the sample when it was diluted into men of
different social classes, age groups and numbers of previous
children. After all correlations due require large samples otherwise
none may be detected, as was the case here.
This study has increased public awareness by raising the profile of
the Couvade syndrome in the UK and International media as its
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