Support for adult biological fathers during termination of their partners' pregnancies

Abstract

Nobody denies the fact that termination of pregnancy has an effect on women, but very few people realise that termination of pregnancy also has a major impact on men. Men experience a sense of powerlessness related to an inability to have a choice in the process of the termination of pregnancy. They also experience emotional turmoil related to the impact of the decision on interpersonal and intra-personal relationships. A way for the adult biological father to deal with these stressful effects is to utilise psychological defence mechanisms (Myburgh, 1999:39-57). The goal of this article is to describe guidelines for the advanced psychiatric nurse practitioner to support adult biological fathers in mobilising their resources and therefore promoting their mental health. A qualitative, descriptive and contextual research design was utilised, where results from phenomenological interviews and a literature control, served as a basis for deducting and describing guidelines for supportive counselling. The counselling process will allow the adult biological father to ventilate his feelings, thoughts and behaviour and put the termination of pregnancy into perspective as a starting point for constructive change, therefore facilitating his mental health.


Health SA Gesondheid Vol.6(1) 2001: 38-48