Knight by force and wounded, protecting without a shield: A meta-ethnography of men’s experiences after an involuntary pregnancy loss

Abstract

Objective: To synthesize the available body of qualitative research regarding the experiences of men after an involuntary pregnancy loss. Design: Noblit and Hare’s interpretive meta-ethnography of 13 original qualitative articles was carried out. Results: After reciprocal and refutational translations, the lines of argument synthesis were developed, together with the metaphor "Knight by force and wounded, protecting without a shield." This metaphor symbolizes the experience of men after an involuntary pregnancy loss. CERQual assessment showed that the results are a (highly) reasonable representation of the phenomenon of interest. Conclusions: The men attempted to cope with the loss of fatherhood and suffering, while managing the lack of social recognition and social expectations of masculinity in terms of their behaviour and expression of suffering. They tended to be strong, although they did not always have the necessary support or knowledge. Implications for practice: Comprehensive and individualized care that includes the man is required. This requires the theoretical-practical training of nurses and midwives, and the provision of tools that help the emotional management of emotionally demanding care.