Grieving from the Margins: Black Canadian Men Navigating the Invisible Burden of Perinatal Loss and Masculine Expectations.
Priscilla N Boakye, Nadia Prendergast, Feven Desta and 2 others
PMID 41919608WHAT IT FOUND
Black Canadian men described perinatal loss as grief they hid to appear strong for partners.
They reported limited support and used faith, family, work, and hobbies to cope.
Key findings
01Men often concealed grief to appear strong and to support their partners.
02Perinatal loss disrupted their expected fatherhood and sense of family identity.
03Participants reported limited support and used distraction to cope.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study had 13 participants, so it cannot show how common these experiences are. It describes men's experiences and support needs. It did not test an intervention or measure outcomes. Eleven men were recruited through partners of women already taking part, so the sample may reflect men connected to women willing to share in research. The sample was small and drawn from the Greater Toronto Area. It may not represent all Black Canadian men.
Declared interests
The study was funded by the office of the Dean of Faculty of Community Services at Toronto Metropolitan University, named as the Black Faculty Support Fund. The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these themes as proof that a bereavement program works. The study described what men said about grief and support. It did not test an intervention or measure outcomes.