Adoptive Gay Father Families: A Longitudinal Study of Children's Adjustment at Early Adolescence

Exploring the intersection of gender identity and homoparental family structure: Implications for educational, family and personal well-being in Spanish students

This study explores the relationship among self-perceived gender, family type (heteroparental or homoparental) and socioeconomic factors concerning various educational, family and personal well-being domains. The data are derived from a large sample of 69,088 students from 465 schools (65% public; 35% private or semi-private) in Spain. Five separate multi-level generalized mixed (logistic or linear) regression models were calculated. Key findings include that non-binary students from homoparental families reported lower evaluations in multiple dimensions, suggesting the need for additional support. Likewise, students from homoparental families exhibited lower personal well-being and family relationship assessments, possibly due to perceived social stigmatization and peer bullying. This study sheds light on the complexities of gender identity and family type in educational settings, emphasizing the importance of addressing these issues for students' well-being and academic success.

Family outcome disparities between sexual minority and heterosexual families: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The number of children in sexual minority parent families has increased. This systematic review aims to synthesise the evidence of disparities in family outcomes between sexual minority and heterosexual families and to identify specific social risk factors of poor family outcomes.

METHODS

We systematically searched PubMed, the Web of Science, Embase, the Cochrane Library and APA PsycNet for original studies that compared family outcomes between sexual minority and heterosexual families. Two reviewers independently selected studies and assessed the risk of bias of included studies. Narrative synthesis and meta-analysis were conducted to synthesise evidence.

RESULTS

Thirty-four articles were included. The narrative synthesis results revealed several significant findings for children's gender role behaviour and gender identity/sexual orientation outcomes. Overall, 16 of 34 studies were included in the meta-analyses. The quantitative synthesis results suggested that sexual minority families may perform better in children's psychological adjustment and parent-child relationship than heterosexual families (standardised mean difference (SMD) -0.13, 95% CI -0.20 to -0.05; SMD 0.13, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.20), but not couple relationship satisfaction (SMD 0.26, 95% CI -0.13 to 0.64), parental mental health (SMD 0.00, 95% CI -0.16 to 0.16), parenting stress (SMD 0.01, 95% CI -0.20 to 0.22) or family functioning (SMD 0.18, 95% CI -0.11 to 0.46).

CONCLUSION

Most of the family outcomes are similar between sexual minority and heterosexual families, and sexual minority families have even better outcomes in some domains. Relevant social risk factors of poor family outcomes included stigma and discrimination, poor social support and marital status, etc. The next step is to integrate multiple aspects of support and multilevel interventions to reduce the adverse effects on family outcomes with a long-term goal of influencing policy and law making for better services to individuals, families, communities and schools.

LGBTQ-parent families: Diversity, intersectionality, and social context

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, and trans (LGBTQ) parents become parents in a variety of ways, including via reproductive technologies, through foster care and adoption, and in the context of different-gender relationships. This review addresses research developments over the past 5-6 years, revealing that LGBTQ people continue to face barriers in becoming parents, especially those who are trans, of color, and have limited financial means. Bisexual and trans parents are increasingly centered in research, and have unique experiences of parenthood related to navigating (in)visibility and stigma in various contexts. Recent work has documented the impacts of sociopolitical events (e.g., COVID-19, the Trump presidency) on LGBTQ parent families, particularly those with multiply marginalized statuses. Likewise, an increasingly intersectional lens has exposed how axes of privilege and oppression impact LGBTQ parents' sense of belongingness in various contexts and social groups. Finally, recent work has continued to document the powerful role of context and family processes in the lives and adjustment of youth raised by LGBTQ parents. More research is needed on LGBTQ parents with marginalized identities that have been poorly represented in the literature, such as nonbinary parents and parents with disabilities.

Postpartum Depression Among Gay Fathers With Children Born Through Surrogacy: A Cross-sectional Study

BACKGROUND

Studies on postpartum depression (PPD) in gay fathers are scarce. The goals of this study were to examine the prevalence of PPD among Israeli gay fathers with children born through surrogacy and to identify characteristics associated with PPD in this population.

METHODS

In this descriptive cross-sectional study, we sent surveys to gay fathers who had children who were 0 to 12 months of age and were born through surrogacy. Surveys were sent through 3 major surrogacy agencies in Israel and through the media. Data were collected concerning sociodemographic, medical, and lifestyle factors as well as concerning satisfaction with partners, family, and social support. Each respondent completed the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, which screens for PPD. Characteristics of fathers with and without probable PPD were compared.

RESULTS

Between July 2018 and December 2019, 66 men answered our questionnaire. The respondents, mean age of 37.5 years, were mostly first-time fathers (82%), with high rates of twin pregnancies (42%). Eight respondents (12%) were classified as having depressive symptoms (95% CI: 5.4%-22.5%), and 16 respondents (25%) reported current or past use of antidepressant medications. A negative association was observed between satisfaction with family support and report of depressive symptoms (χ22=6.53, P=0.038) and Spearman correlation test (rs=-0.34, P=0.005).

CONCLUSIONS

The incidence of probable PPD among gay fathers was 12% compared with 8.8% reported in fathers in the general population. High satisfaction with family support was associated with a lower incidence of probable PPD among gay fathers. Increased awareness of the potential for PPD in gay fathers can improve early diagnosis and treatment.

Solo Fathers and Mothers: An Exploration of Well-Being, Social Support and Social Approval

Research has begun to explore the experiences of single mothers by choice who choose to start a family alone and do so using donated gametes. However, very little is known about the experiences of single fathers by choice, and even less is known about how their experiences might compare to mothers in the same position. This exploratory study of single mothers (n = 19) and fathers (n = 17) by choice examined mental health and social support among mothers who used sperm donation, and fathers who used egg donation and surrogacy, to become parents. Data relating to their reasoning for pursuing solo parenthood, mental health, and social support were analyzed quantitatively. To further explore fathers’ experiences of being a solo parent, a thematic analysis was conducted exploring their descriptions of social responses to their family type. Regarding parental mental health, no statistically significant differences were found between mothers and fathers, and both groups of parents had sought out supportive networks, both before becoming a parent, and as a single parent. Fathers’ responses indicated that they received both supportive and negative reactions, although they generally perceived the majority of interactions to be positive. However, frequent references made by members of the public, or by the media, to their family type being new or different served to reproduce social scripts about normative family types. The study findings, despite the small sample size, contribute to a new understanding of the well-being and experiences of both mothers and fathers who choose to start their family and parent alone.

Intentional Kinship through Caring Relationships, Heritage, and Identity: Adoptive Parents’ Inclusion of Non-Biological and Non-Affinal Relationships on Family Maps

Structural open adoption has been beneficial to adoptees in integrating their birth heritage and identity. Adoptive parents also may sometimes seek out others who are neither related biologically nor through partnership to support their child in developing an integrated sense of identity. To what extent do these intentional kinship relationships become incorporated within the adoptive family network and how do adoptive parents view their role in their child’s life? Qualitative data on family inclusion of non-biological and non-affinal kin are reported from interviews with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and heterosexual adoptive parents (n = 25 families). Analyses of verbal and visual data from family map drawing interviews indicated that adoptive parents from the different types of families similarly included intentional kin in their conceptualization of their child’s family. Adopted children’s foster carers, family friends, other adoptive families, and other children and adults were specifically included on family maps to facilitate children’s knowledge of different aspects of their birth heritage and adoption story. The implications of open adoption policy therefore move beyond considerations of only birth family contact. In practice, open adoption procedures convey a broad message to families that appear to widen adoptive parents’ conceptualization of kinship.

Different Placement Practices for Different Families? Children's Adjustment in LGH Adoptive Families

Objective

The purpose of this study was to examine the characteristics of children placed with lesbian, gay, and heterosexual adopters, and to examine children’s problem behaviors and positive psychosocial adjustment across the three family types.

Background

There is evidence that children with hard-to-place profiles may be more likely to be matched with lesbian and gay parents. In addition, children adopted from care face greater developmental difficulties than children raised by their birth families, although adoptive parents may buffer the negative effects of early adversity on their children’s psychosocial adjustment.

Method

A final sample of 149 adoptive families from across the United Kingdom was recruited: 71 heterosexual parented, 39 lesbian parented, and 39 gay parented.

Results

The results showed that gay and lesbian parents were more likely than heterosexual parents to be matched with hard-to-place children, partially because they were more open to being matched with children with hard-to-place profiles. However, no differences among the three family types on children’s psychosocial adjustment were found, when controlling for children’s early adversity.

Conclusion

Adopted children displayed similar levels of problem behaviors and positive adjustment in lesbian, gay, and heterosexual parented families. Early adversity and having a physical problem/disability accounted for much of the variance in problem behaviors whereas parenting did not. In contrast, it was suggested that parenting processes, namely, parental closeness, may help to explain children’s positive adjustment.