An Exploratory Study on the Grieving of the Bereaved Father in Hong Kong – from Grief Support Workers’ Perspective

Chinese culture expects men to be strong and capable of emotional restraint, and therefore, the grief of bereaved fathers is often being overlooked in Chinese society. However, there has been little research done to understand the emotions and needs of these grief-stricken men, especially from the observations and perspectives of support professionals. This exploratory study attempted to address the knowledge gap concerning the bereaved fathers in Hong Kong through interviews of grief support workers. The study aimed at studying the needs and the pattern of grief of these fathers, plus the effects of gender and cultural expectations on their grief expression. Appropriate support and interventions were also explored. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with five grief support workers who had substantial experience in providing support and counseling to bereaved fathers, and reflexive thematic analysis was used in the data analysis. Results of the study showed that the bereaved fathers in Hong Kong tend to maintain their toughness and invulnerability as circumscribed by society and cultural norms amid the loss. Also, behaviors associated with the instrumental pattern of grief are more commonly observed among bereaved fathers. With respect to professional interventions, grief support workers recognized the importance of both instrumental and intuitive pattern of grief when working with the bereaved fathers and indicated that they had greater success in engaging these fathers through culturally-sensitive practice by paying attention to the societal and cultural expectations on men and respecting the fathers’ preferred choice and priority in the grief process.