Parental Well-Being

When lesbian mothers first became the focus of public attention in the 1970s, questions were raised about their psychological well-being. Indeed, the argument that lesbian mothers were likely to experience psychological problems was used to deny lesbian mothers custody of their children following their divorce. Since that time, the psychological well-being of lesbian mothers has been questioned in other contexts, particularly in relation to adoption and access to assisted reproduction. More recently, similar concerns have been expressed regarding gay men who wish to become fathers through adoption or surrogacy. This entry begins by examining the consequences of difficulties in parental psychological well-being for children generally, followed by a review of the research literature on the psychological well-being of lesbian mothers and gay fathers.