Same-sex and different-sex parent households and child health outcomes:Findings from the national survey of children's health

Objective: Using the 2011–2012 National Survey of Children's Health data set, we compared spouse/partner relationships and parent-child relationships (family relationships), parenting stress, and children's general health, emotional difficulties, coping behavior, and learning behavior (child outcomes) in households of same-sex (female) versus different-sex continuously coupled parents with biological offspring. We assessed whether associations among family relationships, parenting stress, and child outcomes were different in the 2 household types. Methods: Parental and child characteristics were matched for 95 female same-sex parent and 95 different-sex parent households with children 6 to 17 years old. One parent per household was interviewed by telephone. Multivariate analyses of variance and multiple linear regressions were conducted. Results: No differences were observed between household types on family relationships or any child outcomes. Same-sex parent households scored higher on parenting stress (95% confidence interval = 2.03–2.30) than different-sex parent households (95% confidence interval = 1.76–2.03), p = .006. No significant interactions between household type and family relationships or household type and parenting stress were found for any child outcomes. Conclusion: Children with female same-sex parents and different-sex parents demonstrated no differences in outcomes, despite female same-sex parents reporting more parenting stress. Future studies may reveal the sources of this parenting stress

Het psychologisch welbevinden van Nederlandse adolescenten met lesbische moeders die gebruik maakten van een bekende, niet-anonieme of anonieme spermadonor:Is donortype belangrijk?

Until 2004, Dutch women seeking donor insemination through medical facilities could opt for open-identity or anonymous donors. Currently, Dutch medical facilities are only allowed to use sperm from open-identity donors. Focusing on adolescents who were born before 2004, the present study provides a unique opportunity to compare the well-being of those conceived through different donor types: known, open-identity, or anonymous. The present study is based on 67 Dutch adolescents (meanage=16.04) conceived through sperm donation in lesbian-mother families. Participating adolescents were asked to complete the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Youth Self-Report, and to answer questions about their donor. Thirty-three adolescents were conceived through known, 22 through open-identity, and 12 through anonymous donors. No significant differences were found on self-esteem or problem behavior among adolescents conceived through the three donor types. Likewise, no significant differences were found on these variables for adolescents with known donors who indicated that these men did or did not play important roles in their lives. Feeling uncomfortable about not knowing one’s donor was associated with lower levels of self-esteem and more externalizing problem behavior. That donor type has no bearing on adolescent self-esteem and problem behavior may help in guiding the donor choices of prospective lesbian parents

Perceived Quality of the Mother–Adolescent and Father–Adolescent Attachment Relationship and Adolescents’ Self-Esteem

There is consensus in the literature that self-esteem stems from relationships with others. In particular, it is assumed that parents play an important role in the development of children’s self-esteem, also in adolescence. Despite the importance of parent–child attachment relationships for adolescents’ self-esteem, we know very little about the extent to which fathers and mothers uniquely contribute to adolescents’ self-esteem. The current study aims to contribute to acquiring knowledge in this research area in three ways. First, by separating the potential influences of father–child and mother–child attachment relationships on sons’ and daughters’ self-esteem, the current study is able to investigate the individual contribution of the father–child and mother–child attachment relationship to female and male adolescent’s self-esteem. Second, by controlling for changes in the quality of the parental relationship and peer relationships the current study is able to isolate linkages between changes in adolescents’ perce

Transition to parenthood and quality of parenting among gay, lesbian and heterosexual couples who conceived through assisted reproduction

Little research has focused on the emotions felt during pregnancy and early parenthood as well as the initial quality of parenting displayed by first-time parents who conceived using assisted reproduction technologies (surrogacy, donor insemination, and in vitro fertilization). Research on primary and secondary caregivers in gay, lesbian, and heterosexual families is especially sparse. The current study examined 35 gay-father families, 58 lesbian-mother families and 41 heterosexual-parent families with their infants. Families were assessed at home when their infants were 4 months old (±14 days), and each parent participated in an audio-recorded standardized semi-structured interview in which we explored parental feelings during pregnancy, feelings about the parental role, perceived parental competence, the enjoyment of parenthood, expressed warmth and emotional over-involvement of parents. 13 Heterosexual parents reported less positive feelings in early pregnancy than lesbian parents, while gay parents reported less positive feelings at the end of pregnancy than lesbian mothers and more positive feelings about parenthood during the first post-partum weeks than heterosexual parents. There was no interaction between family type and caregiver role on reported feelings, or on perceived competence, enjoyment, warmth, and involvement. The present findings elucidate the transition to parenthood among first-time parents conceiving through assisted reproductive technologies, and especially contribute to our knowledge about gay fathers who became parents through surrogacy