n Health SA Gesondheid - The experience of biological fathers of their partners' termination of pregnancy : research

Abstract

The purpose of this article was to explore and describe how single adult biological fathers experience the termination of pregnancy their partners had. The research design entailed a qualitative, descriptive, explorative and contextual design.

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Cuba's model of ensuring trustworthiness in qualitative research was applied. The phenomenological strategy was used to collect data from a purposive sample of respondents, consisting of nine adult biological fathers who met the sampling criteria.

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Three themes emerged from the analysis of respondents which were: powerlessness related to the inability to have a choice in the decision of the termination of pregnancy; emotional turmoil related to the impact of the decision on inter-personal and intra-personal relationships; and lastly psychological defence mechanisms as a way of dealing with the stressful effect of the terminatioin of pregnancy. A literature control was done to verify the results and recontextualise it within the field of psychiatric nursing. Conclusions and recommendations were made.

Die doel van die artikel was om eerstens ondersoek in te stel en te beskryf hoe enkellopende, volwasse biologiese vaders die beëindiging van hul maats se swangerskap beleef. Die navorsingsontwerp was kwalitatief, verkennend, beskrywend en kontekstueel van aard. Guba se model vir vertrouenswaardigheid in kwalitatiewe navorsing is deurgaans toegepas om vertrouenswaardigheid te verseker. Data is ingesamel deur die gebruikmaking van 'n fenomenologiese strategie waar 'n doelgerigte steekproef van nege volwasse biologies vaders, wat aan die steekproefkriteria voldoen het, geneem was.

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Die volgende temas is uit die data geïdentifiseer: hulpeloosheid te wyte aan die onvermoë om 'n keuse te kan uitoefen in die besluitneming oor die terminasie van swangerskap; emosionele turbulensie rondom die impak van die besluit op interpersoonlike en intrapersoonlike verhoudinge; en laastens psigologiese verdedigingsmeganismes om die stresvolle effek van terminasie van swangerskap te hanteer. 'n Literatuurkontrole is daarna gedoen om die resultate te verifieer en binne die veld van psigiatriese verpleegkunde te rekontekstualiseer. Gevolgtrekkings en aanbevelings is gemaak.