Larry Lumor Gotah
St. Karols of Nursing, Ghana
Scientific Tracks Abstracts: Prim Health Care
The concept of male infertility appears to be shrouded in secrecy. This study explored the perceptions of male infertility among men in the Accra metropolis. The Common Sense Model of illness representation (CSM) was used as an organizing framework. Purposive sampling was used to recruit 14 men. The men were interviewed for 30 to 45 minutes. All interviews were audio- taped and transcribed verbatim and thematic content analysis was conducted. Four main themes emerged from the data (illness representation, coping, health outcomes and unmet needs of men with infertility). Out of these, three themes were consistent with the CSM while one new theme emerged from content analysis. Findings revealed, men with infertility are perceived to experience stigmatization, divorce and financial crisis with infertility treatment. The men perceived that Ghanaian men are pressured to marry and produce children. Failure to conform to the society�s expectation was perceived to result in stigmatization and in some instances, infertile men are perceived to commit suicide if they fail to respond to this obligation. Men with infertility are also perceived to engage in risky habits like alcoholism and multiple sexual partners as strategies to cope with infertility. Child adoption as an option for coping with male infertility is perceived to be a stigmatized concept in Ghana. Poor health outcomes such as hypertension and madness are beliefs associated with male infertility. In conclusion, nurses need to understand the perceptions the society hold about men with infertility and pay attention to how these perceptions influence health service accessibility.
Larry Lumor Gotah has completed his Mphil Nursing degree at the University of Ghana Legon and has 12 years of Nursing experience. He is the current Head of Department of the St. Karols School of Nursing in Ghana. He has made his first oral presentation at the first MDS LANCET student conference and yet to publish a paper on his Master’s thesis.
