Fathers’ Perspectives of Bereavement Support

Bereavement support is a required practice standard for comprehensive palliative care. However, research to guide supportive care for fathers who experience child loss is scarce. This article presents selected findings illuminating fathers’ need for support, which emerged from a phenomenological study describing fathers’ lived bereavement experience. Eleven participating fathers from the United States and Canada discussed their need for support, which was limited and difficult to access. They offered their perspectives of peer support groups and professional mental health counseling. Participants also provided their recommendations to help health professionals improve supportive care for bereaved fathers. Findings from this study advance the state of the science by incorporating fathers’ voices on what bereavement support was meaningful and important for them.