ORBIT-OnlineRepository ofBirkbeckInstitutionalTheses Enabling Open Access to Birkbeck’s Research Degree output Facing and dealing with the challenge of involuntary childlessness : an interpretative phenomenological analysis https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/40394/ Version: Full Version Citation: Fieldsend, Megumi (2019) Facing and dealing with the chal- lenge of involuntary childlessness : an interpretative phenomenologi- cal analysis. [Thesis] (Unpublished) c 2020 The Author(s) All material available through ORBIT is protected by intellectual property law, including copy- right law. Any use made of the contents should comply with the relevant law. Deposit Guide Contact: email Facing and dealing with the challenge of involuntary childlessness: An interpretative phenomenological analysis Megumi Fieldsend Submitted for the degree of PhD, Psychology Birkbeck, University of London 1 Declaration I hereby declare that the work presented in this thesis is my own, except where other sources are clearly and identifiably cited. Megumi Fieldsend One book chapter has, so far, resulted from this thesis: Fieldsend, M. (2018). What is it like being involuntarily childless? Searching for ways of understanding from a psychological perspective. In N. Sappleton (Ed.), Voluntary and involuntary childlessness: The joy of otherhood? (Chapter 2). Bingley, UK: Emerald. 2 Abstract Having children is a major transition in adult development, bringing new meanings into one’s life. While there are people who are childless by choice, for those who are involuntarily childless, life without the fulfilment of parenthood can affect them in various ways. Although, much research on childlessness looks at infertility and treatment experiences, little is known about what it is actually like to be involuntarily childless living everyday life while contemporaries pursue their lives with children. This thesis is composed of two empirical studies. Part I explores the experience of eleven white British women (aged between 45 and 54) who are involuntarily childless. Part II, as an extended study from Part I, investigates the experiences of four white British childless men (aged between 44 and 47) who wanted to be dads. This research applies the participant-centred experiential approach of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to explore the lived experience of involuntary childlessness. The results from both studies reveal the following four higher-order patterns: 1) Intrapersonal – loss; 2) Interpersonal – loss; 3) Intrapersonal – gain; and 4) Interpersonal – gain; all of which underpin the experience of the participants striving to live their lives meaningfully. The findings suggest that the emotional impact of childlessness may not appear as a symptom but trigger existential concerns. Difficulties in finding shared meaning with people with children have important implications on identity development. Ways of dealing with childlessness are unique to individuals, and finding ways of relational reconnections, where intrapersonal and interpersonal meaning integration takes place, are of vital importance for people facing the challenge of involuntary childlessness. This thesis hopes to offer a holistic psychological understanding that has practical implications for counsellors and health professionals, and to raise awareness on this phenomenon in society. The need of further research is also addressed. 3 Contents Declaration ………………………………………………………………………. 2 Abstract ………………………………………………………………………….. 3 Acknowledgements ……………….………………….…………………………. 11 Chapter 1: Introduction ……………..….………………….……….……… 12 1.1 How the study came to life …………………….…………………………. 12 1.2 The Chapters .…………………….…….…………..……….………….… 13 Part I: Living with involuntary childlessness: Women’s perspectives Chapter 2: Literature review …………………………………………… 16 2.1 Introduction ……………………………………………….……………… 16 2.2 Midlife development ……………………..………………………………. 17 2.2.1 Contextualising midlife in human developmental research ……..… 17 2.2.1.1 Objective and subjective midlife ………………………..… 18 2.2.2 Midlife from life-span perspectives ……………………..………… 19 2.2.2.1 Seven key concepts ...……………………………………… 19 2.2.3 Nonstructural (function-centred) and structural (person-centred) theories of development …………………………………………… 20 2.2.3.1 Psychosocial development: research from structural frameworks ……………………………………..…………. 21 a) Psychosocial stages: generativity versus stagnation ….. 21 b) The life structure ……………………………………… 27 2.2.4 Summary …………………………………………………………... 33 2.3 The meaning of meaning …………………………………………….…… 34 2.3.1 Introduction ………….…………..………………………………… 34 2.3.2 Cognitive and social perspectives on meaning: language and beyond ………………………………………………….…………. 36 2.3.3 Positive and humanistic perspectives ………...…………….……… 40 2.3.4 Phenomenological (micro) perspectives …………………………... 44 2.3.5 Existential (macro) perspectives …….…………………………….. 45 4 2.3.6 Summary ……………………………………...…………………… 47 2.4 Midlife and involuntary childlessness: What is known about women who are involuntarily childless? …......………………………………….…….. 48 2.4.1 Psychological distress: medical consequences of infertility ………. 57 2.4.1.1 Depression and distress …..……………………………… 57 2.4.1.2 Desire and regret ………………………………………… 59 2.4.2 Childlessness: life-span perspectives ………………….……...…… 60 2.4.2.1 Long-term impact of the absence of children …..……..… 60 2.4.3 Involuntary childlessness: psychosocial perspectives ……...……… 62 2.4.3.1 Self and identity ………….…..………….……….……… 63 2.4.3.2 Relationships …………………………..………………… 64 2.4.3.3 Social expectations ….……………….………………….. 65 2.4.4 Coping: ways of building resilience ….………………..………….. 66 2.4.4.1 Influences of partner/husband …………………………… 66 2.4.4.2 Coping and social connections ………………..………… 67 2.4.4.3 Theoretical perspectives on coping ……………………… 68 a) Psychosocial influences on cognitive coping strategies …..………………………………………….. 68 b) Life longings: a self-regulatory strategy ……………… 69 c) Empathic activism ……………….…………………… 70 2.4.5 Summary ……….……………..…………………………………… 71 Chapter 3: Methodology ….….…….……………………………………. 74 3.1 Introduction …….………………………………………………………… 74 3.2 Development of qualitative approaches ….………………………………. 74 3.3 Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) …………………..……. 75 3.4 Philosophical underpinnings of IPA .………..…………………………… 76 3.4.1 Phenomenology ..….………….…………………………………… 76 3.4.2 Hermeneutics .……………………………………..………………. 81 3.5 Phenomenologies and idiography into practice – IPA …………………… 83 3.6 Conclusion …….…………………………………………………………. 86 Chapter 4: Method .………………………………………………………. 87 5 4.1 Research question ………………………………………………………… 87 4.2 Recruitment and Participants …...…………………………...…………… 88 4.2.1 Recruitment ……………….……………….………….…………… 90 4.2.2 Ethical considerations ……….…….………………………………. 91 4.3 Data collection ….……….………………………..……………………… 93 4.3.1 The interview schedule ….………………………………………… 93 4.3.2 Interviews ….…….………………………………………………… 96 4.3.3 Transcription ….…………………………………………………… 100 4.4 Analysis ….…..…………………………………………………………… 101 4.4.1 The entry – “immersing oneself” …..……………………………… 101 4.4.2 Initial noting …..…………………………………………………… 102 4.4.3 Developing emergent themes ……………………………………… 104 4.4.4 Developing super-ordinate themes …..…..………………………... 105 4.4.5 Looking for patterns across cases ………….……………………… 108 Chapter 5: The intrapersonal consequences of loss …...………………… 111 5.1 Going through disenfranchised grief …………………...………………… 111 5.2 Uncertainty: layers of worries and fears …………………………………. 116 5.3 Losing life purpose …....…….………………………….………………… 120 5.4 Discussion .…………....………………………………………..………… 124 Chapter 6: Encountering relational losses ….….………………………… 127 6.1 Unshared normative social values ….……………………………………. 127 6.2 Being detached ………………………………………………………..…. 131 6.3 Losing affinity ………………………………………………………….... 135 6.4 Discussion ……………………………………………………………….. 141 Chapter 7: Confronting internal pain …..………………………………… 144 7.1 Evaluating internal conflicts …..…………….........……………………… 144 7.2 Finding ways to move on ………………………………………………… 149 7.3 Self-exploration: searching for fulfilment ….………….………………… 154 7.4 Discussion …………………………………..……………………………. 157 6 Chapter 8: Reconstructing the self through relational reconnections .. 162 8.1 Building new connections ….………………………...………………..…. 162 8.2 Power of disclosure ….…………………………………………...………. 165 8.3 Connecting the self and the world ………………………...……………… 168 8.4 Discussion ….…………………………………………………………….. 172 Part II: Living with involuntary childlessness: Men’s perspectives Chapter 9: Life without children: Lived experience of men who wanted to be a dad ..…………………………………… 176 9.1 Introduction ……………………………………………………………… 176 9.2 Literature Review: Contextualising involuntarily childless men through related studies …………………………………………………… 177 9.2.1 Quantitative research ……………………………………………… 177 9.2.2 Qualitative research …..…………………………………………… 180 9.2.3 Summary …….….….……………………………………………… 184 9.3 Method ....………………………………………………………………… 185 9.3.1 Research question ….……………………………………………… 185 9.3.2 Recruitment and Participants ….….….……………………………. 185 9.3.2.1 Recruitment …..…………………………………………. 186 9.3.2.2 Ethical considerations ….….……………………………. 188 9.3.3 Data collection ……………………………………………………. 189 9.3.3.1 The interview schedule ….……………………………… 190 9.3.3.2 Interviews ….…………………………………………… 190 9.3.3.3 Transcription ….………………………………………… 192 9.3.4 Analysis …………………………………………………………… 192 Chapter 10: Results ……………………………………………………… 194 10.1 The personal impact of loss …….……………………………………….. 194 10.1.1 Despair and anger …..…………………………………………….. 194 10.1.2 Living with profound
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