Lesbian and queer mothers navigating the adoption system: The impacts on mental health
@article{Ross2008LesbianAQ, title={Lesbian and queer mothers navigating the adoption system: The impacts on mental health}, author={Lori E Ross and Rachel Epstein and Corrie Goldfinger and Leah S. Steele and Scott E. Anderson and Carol Strike}, journal={Health Sociology Review}, year={2008}, volume={17}, pages={254 - 266} }
Abstract Increasing numbers of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, and queer (LGBTQ) people are choosing to parent through adoption. The minimal research available, focused particularly on lesbian and gay adoptive parents, suggests they face significant barriers to adoption (including being held to a higher standard than heterosexual adoptive parents), homophobia from child welfare professionals, and limited social support post-adoption. These issues have significant implications…
31 Citations
Lesbian and Gay Adoptive Parents and Their Children
- Psychology
- 2013
Increasing numbers of lesbian and gay adults are becoming parents through adoption. The adoption of children by lesbian and gay adults does, however, remain a controversial topic across the USA and…
Policy, Practice, and Personal Narratives: Experiences of LGBTQ People with Adoption in Ontario, Canada
- Psychology
- 2009
In 2000, the Ontario Child and Family Services Act was amended to permit same-sex adoption. The goal of our research was to examine whether this legislative change has translated into increased…
The Perceptions of New Zealand Lawyers and Social Workers About Children Being Adopted by Gay Couples and Lesbian Couples
- PsychologyFrontiers in Psychology
- 2020
It is found that while New Zealand lawyers and social workers had generally favorable views of gay and lesbian adoption, they still reported a preference to see children adopted by heterosexual couples over same-gender couples, within which lesbian and gay couples were preferred equally.
Supporting Adoptive Parents: A Study on Personal Self-Care
- PsychologyAdoption Quarterly
- 2019
Abstract This study explored the personal self-care practices of adoptive parents (N = 229) in one southeastern state. Overall, findings indicate that adoptive parents only engage in moderate modest…
Attitudes to Practice: National Survey of Adoption Obstacles Faced by Gay and Lesbian Prospective Parents
- Sociology
- 2015
Gays and lesbians wishing to adopt are challenged with managing policies and practices about their right to adopt while also trying to identify adoption professionals that do not stigmatize against…
Placing children in need with gay and lesbian couples: Influences on placement decisions
- Psychology
- 2010
Thousands of children throughout the United States are currently awaiting placement withadoptive families. The literature indicates that gay- and lesbian-headed households can wellmeet the needs of…
"You Live Where?!" Lesbian Mothers' Attachment to Nonmetropolitan Communities
- Psychology
- 2011
A positive attachment to one's residential community has been linked to better mental health (McLaren, 2009), stronger social support (Young, Russell, & Powers, 2004), and a higher quality of life…
LESBIAN MOTHERS' LIVED PSYCHOLOGICAL EXPERIENCE OF PLANNED MOTHERHOOD IN THREE SOUTH AFRICAN CITIES: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY
- Psychology
- 2013
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The concept of what constitutes a “normal” family has changed within recent years. This is
because various family forms have been found viable. The current study is exploratory and…
A Crucial but Strenuous Process: Female Same-Sex Couples’ Reflections on Second-Parent Adoption
- Psychology, Sociology
- 2015
When a female same-sex couple has a child together through assisted reproduction, it is important that both partners be granted status as the child's legal parents. Second-parent adoption, where the…
Same-Sex Parenting: Identification of Social Representations in a Sample of Portuguese Professionals
- PsychologyJournal of homosexuality
- 2019
Content analysis reveals reservations regarding same-sex couples’ access to parenting, in particular among lawyers/attorneys and social narratives that highlight specific competencies in these families and that argue that sexual orientation does not define the quality of parenting.
References
SHOWING 1-10 OF 36 REFERENCES
Perinatal Mental Health in Lesbian Mothers: A Review of Potential Risk and Protective Factors
- PsychologyWomen & health
- 2005
The study of perinatal mental health in lesbian mothers is warranted, both to ensure that the mental health needs of this largely invisible population are being met, and to further illuminate the role of psychosocial stress inPerinatal Mental health in all women.
Perceptions of predisposing and protective factors for perinatal depression in same-sex parents.
- PsychologyJournal of midwifery & women's health
- 2005
Assessing lesbian and gay prospective foster and adoptive families: a focus on the home study process.
- PsychologyChild welfare
- 2007
Drawing on research literature, practice wisdom from 31 years of child welfare experiences, and case examples, this article offers child welfare professionals guidelines for competent assessment with prospective foster or adoptive parents who identify as lesbian or gay.
Becoming Lesbian Adoptive Parents
- Psychology
- 2002
ABSTRACT Legal, public policy, and social biases make the process of becoming a family difficult for lesbian and gay parents. Currently Massachusetts prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual…
Prejudice, social stress, and mental health in lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations: conceptual issues and research evidence.
- PsychologyPsychological bulletin
- 2003
It is shown that LGBs have a higher prevalence of mental disorders than heterosexuals and a conceptual framework is offered for understanding this excess in prevalence of disorder in terms of minority stress--explaining that stigma, prejudice, and discrimination create a hostile and stressful social environment that causes mental health problems.
International adoptive lesbian families: Parental perceptions of the influence of diversity on family relationships in early childhood
- Sociology, Psychology
- 2003
Abstract This article explores parental perceptions of living with the multiple identities of being adoptive, transracial, transcultural or multicultural, lesbian families. Analysis is based on…
How) Does The Sexual Orientation Of Parents Matter
- Psychology
- 2001
Opponents of lesbian and gay parental rights claim that children with lesbigay parents are at higher risk for a variety of negative outcomes. Yet most research in psychology concludes that there are…
Examining Social Workers' Placement Recommendations of Children with Gay and Lesbian Adoptive Parents
- Psychology
- 2000
Thousands of children are awaiting placement with adoptive families in the United States. However, agency practices in selecting appropriate families are slow to change, with gay men and lesbians…
Advocacy for women's health should include lesbian health.
- MedicineJournal of women's health
- 2004
Specialty societies can effect change by issuing policy statements about issues of orientation and by writing orientation/identity curricula for public schools, colleges, and postcollegiate education to improve their accuracy, reduce sexually transmitted diseases, delay sexual activity, and reduce morbidity from homophobic violence.
Mental health correlates of perceived discrimination among lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults in the United States.
- Psychology, MedicineAmerican journal of public health
- 2001
Higher levels of discrimination may underlie recent observations of greater psychiatric morbidity risk among lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals.