{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,2]],"date-time":"2026-10-02T15:24:08Z","timestamp":1790954648169,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":36,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,2]],"date-time":"2025-09-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1756771200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n<jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>In Tanzania, stillbirth is a public health challenge. The care provided to women after stillbirth does not reflect standards. Little is known on view of the social and clinical human experience surrounding this tragedy. This study explored women lived social-cultural and clinical experiences and the navigation process after stillbirth in Dodoma.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n<jats:title>Method<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>A phenomenological qualitative approach was conducted from February 15, 2024, to May 30, 2024, involving in-depth interviews with 12 informants (postnatal women) who were purposefully selected, achieving data saturation at 9 informants. Data were transcribed verbatim, manifest coded, and analysed using conventional content analysis. Subsequently, sub-categories and main categories were generated. At the theorizing phase, the conceptual interpretation of categories and subcategories were used to generate the conceptual framework that describes the phenomenon of women\u2019s navigation process from the experienced life challenges towards maintaining the overall well-being after stillbirth.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n<jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>The study identifies six main categories of exposure, each with three subcategories: \u2460 Unsatisfactory medical care (dissatisfaction with medical care, neglected bereavement care, and improper breaking of information); \u2461 Diversity and adversity in cultural practices (dominance of elders\u2019 power, diversity of cultural practice and emotional responses); and \u2462Diversity in social practices (diversity of social responses towards the news, diversity in social responsibilities and diversity experience after social responses), \u2463 Meaning constructed after still birth (unpleasant phenomenon of stillbirth, all suffering for nothing, the baby could be saved), \u2464 Mental and physical health challenges (anxiety and depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and physical burden of still birth), \u2465 Navigating the stillbirth experiences (self-coping, social support and hospital support).<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n<jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>The study found that women who experience stillbirth face significant social, cultural, and psychological challenges that impact their perception and meaning of their world and their mental wellbeing. Ultimately, they invariably navigate to a state of well-being. This highlights the urgent need for culturally sensitive interventions and dedicated healthcare and social support systems to help mothers recover smoothly and swiftly.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0331319","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,2]],"date-time":"2025-09-02T17:45:53Z","timestamp":1756835153000},"page":"e0331319","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Women\u2019s lived social-cultural and clinical experiences and navigation process after stillbirth in Dodoma Region, Tanzania: A phenomenological study"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"20","author":[{"given":"Hashim","family":"Yatera","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0142-6081","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Angelina A.","family":"Joho","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Golden M.","family":"Masika","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,2]]},"reference":[{"key":"pone.0331319.ref001","volume-title":"Improving maternal and newborn health and survival and reducing stillbirth","author":"WHO, Unicef, UNFPA","year":"2023"},{"key":"pone.0331319.ref002","volume-title":"NIHR Global Health Research Group on Stillbirth Prevention and Management in Sub-Saharan Africa","author":"NIHR Global Health Research Group","year":"2021"},{"key":"pone.0331319.ref003","volume-title":"Every newborn: An action plan to end preventable deaths","author":"World Health Organization","year":"2014"},{"key":"pone.0331319.ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"345","DOI":"10.1097\/NMC.0000000000000564","article-title":"Improving perinatal care through theory application","volume":"44","author":"D C\u00f4t\u00e9-Arsenault","year":"2019","journal-title":"MCN Am J Matern Nurs"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0331319.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"782","DOI":"10.1186\/s12884-021-04254-x","article-title":"Depression, anxiety, PTSD, and OCD after stillbirth: a systematic review","volume":"21","author":"CL Westby","year":"2021","journal-title":"BMC Pregnancy Childbirth"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0331319.ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0191635","article-title":"The impact of stillbirth on bereaved parents: A qualitative study","volume":"13","author":"D Nuzum","year":"2018","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0331319.ref007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"206","DOI":"10.1111\/birt.12176","article-title":"Seeing and Holding Baby: Systematic Review of Clinical Management and Parental Outcomes After Stillbirth","volume":"42","author":"C Kingdon","year":"2015","journal-title":"Birth"},{"key":"pone.0331319.ref008","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"103007","DOI":"10.1016\/j.midw.2021.103007","article-title":"Lived Experiences of Mothers Following a Perinatal Loss","volume":"99","author":"KM Kirui","year":"2021","journal-title":"Midwifery"},{"issue":"7","key":"pone.0331319.ref009","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"967","DOI":"10.1177\/1933719116670518","article-title":"When a Baby Dies: A Systematic Review of Experimental Interventions for Women After Stillbirth","volume":"24","author":"JL Huberty","year":"2016","journal-title":"Reprod Sci"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0331319.ref010","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"351","DOI":"10.1186\/s12884-016-1142-2","article-title":"Stillbirths and quality of care during labour at the low resource referral hospital of Zanzibar: a case-control study","volume":"16","author":"N Maal\u00f8e","year":"2016","journal-title":"BMC Pregnancy Childbirth"},{"key":"pone.0331319.ref011","first-page":"121","article-title":"Impact of management protocols of intrauterine fetal death on perceived stress: A comparative study","volume":"44","author":"M Mandal","year":"2017","journal-title":"J Sci Soc"},{"key":"pone.0331319.ref012","first-page":"16","article-title":"Parents\u2019 experience of the care they received following a stillbirth: A literature review","volume":"14","author":"H Coffey","year":"2016","journal-title":"Evid Based Midwifery"},{"issue":"6","key":"pone.0331319.ref013","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"520","DOI":"10.1016\/j.wombi.2020.08.012","article-title":"Addressing stillbirth inequities in Australia: Steps towards a better future","volume":"33","author":"AR Rumbold","year":"2020","journal-title":"Women Birth"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0331319.ref014","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"366","DOI":"10.1111\/birt.12546","article-title":"Parents\u2019 experiences of care offered after stillbirth: An international online survey of high and middle-income countries","volume":"48","author":"D Horey","year":"2021","journal-title":"Birth"},{"key":"pone.0331319.ref015","volume-title":"Profile of dodoma","author":"Dodoma Region","year":"2013"},{"key":"pone.0331319.ref016","volume-title":"The 2022 Population and Housing Census: Age and Sex Distribution Report Tanzania Mainland","author":"Ministry of Finance and Planning, Tanzania National Bureau of Statistics, Office of the Chief Government Statistician Zanzibar","year":"2022"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0331319.ref017","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"202","DOI":"10.1080\/14780887.2014.955224","article-title":"The Utility of Template Analysis in Qualitative Psychology Research","volume":"12","author":"J Brooks","year":"2015","journal-title":"Qual Res Psychol"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0331319.ref018","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"12","DOI":"10.1111\/1471-0528.15430","article-title":"Parents\u2019 and healthcare professionals\u2019 experiences of care after stillbirth in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-summary","volume":"126","author":"C Shakespeare","year":"2019","journal-title":"BJOG"},{"key":"pone.0331319.ref019","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2182","DOI":"10.1038\/s41372-020-00907-5","article-title":"I should have seen her face at least once: parent\u2019s and healthcare providers\u2019 experiences and practices of care after stillbirth in Kabul province, Afghanistan","author":"A Christou","year":"2021","journal-title":"J Perinatol"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0331319.ref020","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"109","DOI":"10.1186\/s12884-018-1742-0","article-title":"Psycho-social impact of stillbirths on women and their families in Tamil Nadu, India - a qualitative study","volume":"18","author":"V Gopichandran","year":"2018","journal-title":"BMC Pregnancy Childbirth"},{"key":"pone.0331319.ref021","first-page":"1","article-title":"The impact of continuing bonds following bereavement: A systematic review","author":"H Hewson","year":"2023","journal-title":"Death Stud"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0331319.ref022","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"152","DOI":"10.1080\/07481187.2019.1626936","article-title":"Pain without reward: A phenomenological exploration of stillbirth for couples and their hospital encounter","volume":"45","author":"MQ King","year":"2021","journal-title":"Death Stud"},{"key":"pone.0331319.ref023","volume-title":"Meaning making and the art of grief therapy","author":"R Neimeyer","year":"2014"},{"issue":"12","key":"pone.0331319.ref024","article-title":"Antenatal interventions for preventing stillbirth, fetal loss and perinatal death: an overview of Cochrane systematic reviews","volume":"12","author":"E Ota","year":"2020","journal-title":"Cochrane Database Syst Rev"},{"key":"pone.0331319.ref025","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"99","DOI":"10.4103\/2277-9531.171813","article-title":"The role of religious beliefs in pregnancy loss","volume":"4","author":"M Allahdadian","year":"2015","journal-title":"J Educ Health Promot"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0331319.ref026","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1081","DOI":"10.1007\/s10943-017-0365-5","article-title":"The Spiritual and Theological Challenges of Stillbirth for Bereaved Parents","volume":"56","author":"D Nuzum","year":"2017","journal-title":"J Relig Health"},{"key":"pone.0331319.ref027","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"24011","DOI":"10.3402\/gha.v8.24011","article-title":"Weeping in silence: community experiences of stillbirths in rural eastern Uganda","volume":"8","author":"J Kiguli","year":"2015","journal-title":"Glob Health Action"},{"key":"pone.0331319.ref028","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1134","DOI":"10.1111\/jocn.14142","article-title":"The meaning of rituals after a stillbirth: A qualitative study of mothers with a stillborn baby","volume":"27","author":"Y-F Tseng","year":"2018","journal-title":"J Clin Nurs"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0331319.ref029","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"443","DOI":"10.1186\/s12884-021-03912-4","article-title":"The impact of cultural beliefs and practices on parents\u2019 experiences of bereavement following stillbirth: a qualitative study in Uganda and Kenya","volume":"21","author":"E Ayebare","year":"2021","journal-title":"BMC Pregnancy Childbirth"},{"key":"pone.0331319.ref030","volume-title":"On grief and grieving: Finding the meaning of grief through the five stages of loss","author":"E Kubler-Ross","year":"2005"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0331319.ref031","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"32","DOI":"10.1080\/02646838.2016.1239249","article-title":"The impact of miscarriage and stillbirth on maternal-fetal relationships: an integrative review","volume":"35","author":"L Lee","year":"2017","journal-title":"J Reprod Infant Psychol"},{"key":"pone.0331319.ref032","first-page":"613","article-title":"Resilience theory: A literature review","author":"AD Van Breda","year":"2001","journal-title":"South African Mil Heal Serv"},{"key":"pone.0331319.ref033","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"448","DOI":"10.1080\/02646838.2015.1035234","article-title":"Standard care practices and psychosocial interventions aimed at reducing parental distress following stillbirth: A systematic narrative review","volume":"33","author":"H Crispus","year":"2015","journal-title":"J Reprod Infant Psychol"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0331319.ref034","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"296","DOI":"10.1016\/j.wombi.2024.01.007","article-title":"Support interventions to reduce psychological distress in families experiencing stillbirth in high income countries: A systematic review","volume":"37","author":"I Hildingsson","year":"2024","journal-title":"Women Birth"},{"key":"pone.0331319.ref035","article-title":"The Effect of Psychotherapy Interventions After Stillbirth on the Grief Process and Depression: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis","author":"Y Karaahmet","year":"2024","journal-title":"OMEGA - J Death Dying"},{"issue":"4","key":"pone.0331319.ref036","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"101604","DOI":"10.1016\/j.wombi.2024.101604","article-title":"First Nations Peoples\u2019 perceptions, knowledge and beliefs regarding stillbirth prevention and bereavement practices: A mixed methods systematic review","volume":"37","author":"D Pollock","year":"2024","journal-title":"Women Birth"}],"container-title":["PLOS One"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0331319","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,2]],"date-time":"2025-09-02T17:45:58Z","timestamp":1756835158000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0331319"}},"subtitle":[],"editor":[{"given":"Vijayaprasad","family":"Gopichandran","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"editor"}]}],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,2]]},"references-count":36,"journal-issue":{"issue":"9","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,2]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0331319","relation":{},"ISSN":["1932-6203"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1932-6203","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,2]]}}}