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Parent mental health challenges in the postpartum and early parenthood have profound implications for parent, child, and family well-being. Little research has focused on postpartum mental health challenges and barriers to help-seeking among queer birthing people, including members of this community who may be particularly vulnerable to mental health difficulties, such as queer cis women partnered with men, trans/nonbinary parents, and queer parents who are young, low-income, and/or of color. This mixed-methods study of queer parents (n = 99), all of whom were assigned female at birth (AFAB) and gave birth to a child within the past several years, explores parents' postpartum mental health difficulties and perceived barriers to seeking help. Using a structural stigma framework, this study found that participants reported high rates of postpartum mental health difficulties (89%) and reported various barriers to seeking support including fears of discrimination and being deemed "unfit" by providers, which might lead to child welfare system involvement. Young parents and low-income parents were particularly fearful of child welfare system contact and potential child removal. Factors that encouraged help-seeking (e.g., desire to be a good parent; partner pressure to seek help) and implications for family practitioners are discussed.
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This study aims to integrate and synthesize knowledge of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) persons' experiences of parenthood in the context of maternal and child health care. For nurses to provide optimal care for LGBTQ+ parents, we need to derive knowledge from their perspectives. An interpretive meta-synthesis approach, meta-ethnography, was chosen for this study. A lines-of-argument synthesis based on four themes was developed: (1) Entering the world of LGBTQ+ parenthood; (2) The emotional journey in LGBTQ+ parenthood; (3) Struggling with the system as a LGBTQ+ parent and (4) A need to expand the knowledge horizon of LGBTQ+ parenthood. The overarching metaphor, "To be recognised as parents, unique and good enough, like everybody else," reflects how recognition and inclusion may support LGBTQ+ persons in their parenthood and broaden the understanding of parenthood. Knowledge of the LGBTQ+ family needs to be given greater attention in maternity and child health care settings, and in education and health policies.
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BACKGROUND: The experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) parents of children with developmental disabilities (DDs) in health and early learning systems are largely understudied. Inclusive, affirming services are critical to timely identification and intervention for DDs. This literature review aimed to establish whether LGBTQ parents experience structural bias and discrimination when accessing care for their children in health and early learning systems. METHODS: PubMed, ERIC, and Scopus were searched for empirical research from 1990 to 2020 on: LGBTQ; parents, children, families; bias, disparities, discrimination; and health and early learning services. Themes were analyzed by conceptual model bias levels, participant type, and setting. RESULTS: The search yielded 1,872 unduplicated records (three through hand search). Twenty-nine articles representing 26 studies in health and early learning in eight countries met the inclusion criteria. Biases common across sectors included challenges surrounding LGBTQ status disclosures; lack of acknowledgment of non-biological parents; and heterosexist forms. Knowledge gaps and negative attitudes about LGBTQ families were found among some professionals and students. CONCLUSION: Some LGBTQ parents experienced bias and discrimination while accessing care for their children in health and early learning systems. Policies and programs to implement and monitor LGBTQ-inclusive health education and evaluate practice changes are recommended to improve professionals' knowledge, attitudes, and behavior. Multilevel workforce development (e.g., accreditation standards, organizational audits, and training) is needed to create and sustain LGBTQ-affirming health and education environments. Honoring LGBTQ family diversity and reducing health and early learning inequities are critical for improving children's health and education outcomes.
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Minorías Sexuales y de Género , Personas Transgénero , Femenino , Humanos , Niño , Conducta Sexual , Identidad de Género , PadresRESUMEN
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) families have expanded our understanding of who counts as family, to include legal as well as chosen ties. Yet, nonbiological parents in LGBTQ families are vulnerable to invalidation and erasure in social institutions, including health care, legal, and educational settings, where genetic and gestational linkages are privileged. The current study was guided by a queer phenomenological perspective to examine how LGBTQ parents experience and respond to dominant norms related to family relatedness and membership and thus queer the family. This mixed-methods study sampled 250 LGBTQ parents (including cisgender women and trans/nonbinary participants) to examine the question: In what ways does genetic asymmetry matter for families? The qualitative and quantitative analyses yielded three primary findings that revealed experiences of erasure and discrimination, as well as proactive strategies and active resistance used to counteract these difficulties. Themes were organized by (a) encountering marginalization and invalidation: health care, schools, and beyond; (b) strategic actions and discursive practices toward parental equality; and (c) confronting and resisting the need for legal, symbolic, and parenting strategies. This study documents ways in which nonbiological LGBTQ parents, in particular, embrace and resist societal norms for biological connectedness. Implications for nursing professionals include our finding that reproductive and perinatal contexts were particular sites of invalidation, necessitating education about the range of queer, nonbiological, and trans/nonbinary parents so that all parents are included in professional health care encounters.
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Minorías Sexuales y de Género , Bisexualidad , Femenino , Identidad de Género , Humanos , Padres , Embarazo , Conducta SexualRESUMEN
How does race and location shape the reproductive decisions of gay men who are intended parents? In this article, we propose the concept of strategic racialization to characterize the ways in which gay male parents employ racial matching in their selection of egg donors and surrogates in the United States and United Kingdom. We argue that racial matching is a strategy of stigma management. This study draws upon interview data from 40 gay male couples who formed families through surrogacy. We find that pre-conception fathers seek racialized resemblance to reinforce kinship between themselves and their children. In California and England, gay men seeking donor eggs engage in racial matching, which reveals that the racialized biogenetic model of kinship remains dominant. This study makes a significant contribution to the literature on race and queer family formation.
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Reproductive loss, which includes miscarriage and nongestational loss, such as adoption loss, is rarely recognized as part of the family-building journey. Such loss tends to be even more invisible among LGBTQ individuals. The current study examines the experiences of 80 LGBTQ individuals who experienced adoption-related losses (i.e., failed adoption matches, child removals, disrupted child placements), with attention to how these losses impacted them and what enabled them to move forward. Participants who pursued private domestic adoption experienced failed matches (i.e., birth parents deciding to parent or choosing another family) both before (n = 21) and/or after (n = 24) a child was born. Participants who pursued public domestic adoption experienced child removals involving reunification with birth parents (n = 14) and other birth relatives (n = 18), as well as disrupted placements initiated by parents (n = 10) and children (n = 7). Failed matches, child removals, and disrupted placements were typically experienced as "crushing" and invisible losses. They were often followed by a period of grieving, and sometimes prompted adjustments to the type of matches or placements participants would consider (e.g., to mitigate the likelihood of future similar losses). Moving forward from adoption losses was facilitated by support from partners and those who experienced similar losses, knowledge or hope regarding the children once in their care, and finally being placed with the child(ren) whom they ultimately legally adopted.
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Adopción , Minorías Sexuales y de Género , Niño , Pesar , Humanos , PadresRESUMEN
AIM: Describe empowerment in maternity and child healthcare from the perspective of self-identified lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, or queer (LGBTQ) parents in Finland. BACKGROUND: Parental empowerment is a core aspect of maternity and child healthcare. However, knowledge about LGBTQ parents' perceptions about empowerment is still lacking. METHOD: Qualitative design, 22 parents participating. The interviews were conducted in between July and September 2016 and analysed using inductive content analysis. FINDINGS: Three core categories emerged as follows: (a) recognition and acknowledgment, particularly being treated as a parent, irrespective of any biological or legal ties to a child; (b) cooperation and interaction, such as working together, respecting parents' autonomy, and supporting parents' full involvement; (c) equitable care, such as parents' trust in services, but also a health-care professional's knowledge of a family's special needs. CONCLUSION: Empowerment was perceived as the parents' sense of being visible and recognized as a parent. This recognition requires education and structures that are inclusive of all families. In addition, the language used by professionals was a key indicator for promoting positive feelings of comfort and safety for all families.
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Empoderamiento , Padres/psicología , Minorías Sexuales y de Género , Actitud del Personal de Salud , Niño , Servicios de Salud del Niño , Enfermería de la Familia , Femenino , Finlandia , Humanos , Entrevistas como Asunto , Masculino , Servicios de Salud Materna , Autonomía Personal , Embarazo , Relaciones Profesional-PacienteRESUMEN
How are lesbian/gay/bisexual/trans/queer (LGBTQ) parents of children with disabilities categorized by service providers, and how do parents anticipate, interpret, and respond to such categorizations? This intersectional study investigated the experiences of LGBTQ parents of children with disabilities with service providers in Toronto, Canada. Parents described pressures to "fit" into providers' limited understanding of family. Some parents described facing overt discrimination, including one parent who was seen as a possible sexual predator. Some described being perceived as representatives of "diversity" for organizations, or "pet lesbians" in the words of one couple. Others described being misread as a non-parent, as in "just the nanny," particularly in conjunction with their racial minority status. Parents described how their experiences of being "outside the mainstream" helped them challenge systems and normative beliefs. Findings suggest that a context of scarce disability resources shapes parents' experiences of how LGBTQ identity comes to matter.