Abstract
M.Cur. (Psychiatric Nursing)
Termination of pregnancy is now legal in South Africa, bringing with it issues that have never before had to be addressed. Nobody denies that termination of pregnancy has an effect on women, but very few people realise that termination of pregnancy also has an impact on men. The study tells the story of a few adult biological fathers who accompanied their partners to the various identified clinics in Gauteng for a termination of pregnancy. The goal of this study was to:
Explore and describe how single adult biological fathers experienced the
termination of pregnancy his partner had.
Describe guidelines for the advanced psychiatric nurse practitioner to
support adult biological fathers to mobilise their resources and promote
their mental health as an integral part of health.
The paradigmatic perspective of this study was guided by the Theory for Health Promotion in Nursing (Rand Afrikaans University, Department of Nursing Science, 1999:2-15), which reflects the focus on the whole person. A functional approach was followed (Botes, 1991 :2) based on the model for nursing research developed by Botes (1995:6). The design of the study utilised is a qualitative, descriptive, exploratory and contextual design (Mouton & Marais, 1994:43-44,51) using in-depth, semi-structured, phenomenological interviews as a method of data collection. Field notes were also taken after the completion of each interview, while prior to this permission was obtained from the various identified private clinics in Gauteng where this study was conducted, as well as from the adult biological fathers who voluntarily participated in this study.
The results of this study were tabulated according to categories and themes. The first theme identified the powerlessness the adult biological fathers experienced related to the inability to have a choice in the process of the termination of pregnancy.
The second theme told of the emotional turmoil experienced by the adult biological fathers related to the impact of the decision on interpersonal and intra-personal relationships.
The third theme identified the psychological defence mechanisms the adult biological fathers used as a way of dealing with the stressful effects of the termination of pregnancy.