Parenting, family life, and well-being among sexual minorities: nursing policy and practice implications.
Parenting and family life are fundamental social constructs in human society and in law and public policy. Family structures and support systems provide important economic and psychological advantages for parents as well as for their children. Stigma toward lesbian and gay parents often marginalize individuals in these families and restrict family members' full expression of social citizenship, humanity, and personhood. Stigma directly contributes to increased risk for substance abuse, anxiety, and depressive illness among both parents and children. This article reviews the relevant policy literature to deconstruct the impacts of stigma on the psychological health and well-being of sexual minority parents so that psychiatric/mental health nurses and other health care providers can identify and counter these effects in their practices and advocate for policy improvements.
School of Nursing, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261-2404, USA. webersjm@pitt.edu
Scott
S
Weber
D001007:Anxiety / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001727:Bisexuality / Q000523:psychology; D002961:Civil Rights / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology; D003863:Depression / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D006291:Health Policy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006716:Homosexuality / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000523:psychology*; D024802:Nurse's Role / Q000523:psychology; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D011568:Psychiatric Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012929:Psychological Distance; D012307:Risk Factors; D012660:Semantics; D013240:Stereotyping; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D014189:Transsexualism / Q000523:psychology; D014481:United States