ABSTRACT
My two-year study also involves a qualitative aspect to examine some pertinent dynamics of shame in the Eastern context through interviewing a number of participants who took part in the quantitative surveys. There are two overarching themes, which emerged with coherent pattern. They referred to the intrapsychic and interpersonal consequences experienced by the participants following their perinatal losses. The intrapsychic consequences are mainly emotions and ruminations experienced within oneself. The interpersonal consequences result from their interactions with others, predisposed by their intrapsychic consequences. Under intrapsychic consequences, the most common emotions and ruminations experienced and initially expressed by the participants are guilt, anger, anxiety and sadness. Under interpersonal findings, it is noted that most of the Malaysian husbands of Chinese background generally expressed minimal reaction following a perinatal loss. Further, the typical strategy adopted by Malaysian women of Chinese background to defend against public exposure to shame following their perinatal loss is withdrawal. Another noteworthy finding is that the stigma on Malaysian wives of Chinese background for not bearing a male child is not so prevalent, but the stigma on non-childbearing still exists in the cultural mindsets of the Malaysian Chinese, particularly amongst the older generations.
