TY - JOUR
T1 - The paradox of awareness of death in parenthood transition—A qualitative study
AU - Sejrsgaard, Marie
AU - Hvidtjørn, Dorte
AU - Prinds, Christina
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - In the high-income countries of Scandinavia, there is a low statistical risk of death during childbirth. However, awareness of the possibility of death seems to have prevailed. In existential psychology and philosophy, awareness of death is a universal condition in life, and facing the anxiety this awareness might invoke has the potential of being life-invigorating. In a hermeneutic analysis of Qualitative data, generated in a study on new parents’ existential meaning-making, this study aimed to explore awareness of death as experienced in parenthood transition. The results found two overarching themes: Awareness of my own Finitude and Fragility of our loved ones. These were interpreted in existential philosophical and psychological theories, and concludes that awareness of death might signify an existential integration of ‘self’ in the new role of parenthood. Acknowledging these thoughts as healthcare professionals could support the meaning-making of parenthood transition, by normalizing their universal nature.
AB - In the high-income countries of Scandinavia, there is a low statistical risk of death during childbirth. However, awareness of the possibility of death seems to have prevailed. In existential psychology and philosophy, awareness of death is a universal condition in life, and facing the anxiety this awareness might invoke has the potential of being life-invigorating. In a hermeneutic analysis of Qualitative data, generated in a study on new parents’ existential meaning-making, this study aimed to explore awareness of death as experienced in parenthood transition. The results found two overarching themes: Awareness of my own Finitude and Fragility of our loved ones. These were interpreted in existential philosophical and psychological theories, and concludes that awareness of death might signify an existential integration of ‘self’ in the new role of parenthood. Acknowledging these thoughts as healthcare professionals could support the meaning-making of parenthood transition, by normalizing their universal nature.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85195214702&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/07481187.2024.2361744
DO - 10.1080/07481187.2024.2361744
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 38833291
AN - SCOPUS:85195214702
SN - 0748-1187
JO - Death Studies
JF - Death Studies
ER -