title: Identity Transformation During the Transition to Parenthood Among Same-Sex Couples: An Ecological, Stress-Strategy-Adaptation Perspective.
abstract: This article reviews the current research on the potential stressors associated with identity transformation experienced by same-sex couples during the transition to parenthood and the coping strategies they employ. By integrating disparate findings into an ecological, stress-strategy-adaptation framework, we demonstrate that the identity transformation experiences among same-sex couples during the transition to parenthood (a) involve various adaptive processes of navigating different stressors via their human agency within multiple nested contexts; (b) are products of the intersections of individual characteristics, relational dynamics, LGBT community culture, and heterosexual sociostructural norms; and (c) are complicated by social contextual factors such as social class, race/ethnicity, family structure, and the sociocultural environment associated with geographic location. Last, several avenues for future inquiry are suggested.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 131 Stone Building, Greensboro, NC 27402.
authors.forename: Hongjian
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 131 Stone Building, Greensboro, NC 27402.
authors.forename: W Roger
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Mills-Koonce
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 131 Stone Building, Greensboro, NC 27402.
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wood
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 131 Stone Building, Greensboro, NC 27402.
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Fine
keywords: Identity; same-sex couple; strategy; stress; transition to parenthood