Supporting fathers following perinatal loss: uniting a community of loss through football

Background: Fathers’ experience of grief following stillbirth and neonatal death and some of the ways they cope with stillbirth and neonatal death has been relatively under-explored. However, investigating men’s experiences is critical given the gendered differences in coping styles and access to services which are aimed and assisting grieving parents following perinatal death. Methods: In this qualitative study, eleven in-depth interviews were conducted with fathers via Skype and continued for 40 to 50 minutes. Following ethical approval, participants were recruited via social media through the Sands Utd football team network. Participants were recruited if they were aged 18 years and above, had experienced a miscarriage, stillbirth or neo natal death more than 1 year prior to the study. All participants received a phone call the following day after interviews to check in on their welfare. The interview data was analysed following the six steps for thematic analysis outlined by Braun and Clarke (2006). Results: A central theme that emerged from the data was ‘joining a community of shared loss’ in which fathers shared experiences of the challenges they experience in accessing support to help cope with their loss. Within the football teams fathers were able to access a space and a location within the team to share their grief and in turn support other fathers. Fathers revealed the importance of validating their grief and acknowledging the baby’s place in their familial biography by way of memorialisation which was honoured at football matches. Conclusion: This study offers a unique insight into father’s experience of the value of support provided through the medium of football teams which are developed by and for bereaved fathers. It is the first study to explore the dynamics of support received and provided by fathers and which ultimately contribute to a sense of coping.