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 the difficulties faced in supporting their partner whilst they
sought to come to terms with their own reactions to the diagnosis.
Societal expectations of masculinity that inhibit the display of
emotion leave men in a double-bind as they consider the
appropriateness of their reactions. A lack of acknowledgement of
the emotional pain experienced compounds difficulties with
emotional disclosure as the male sense of competence is
challenged.
Conclusion: Male partner responses in the aftermath of fetal
anomaly diagnosis are complex. Health professional
acknowledgement of men’s feelings and emotions are required if
male grief reactions are no longer to be condemned as secondary to
their partner’s.
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