title: Supporting same-sex mothers in the Nordic child health field: a systematic literature review and meta-synthesis of the most gender equal countries.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the needs of and support given to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and inter-sex parents within the Nordic child health field.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  The number of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and inter-sex parents is growing around the world. However, they face fear, discrimination and heteronormativity within the child health field. The Nordic countries (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland) rank as the most gender equal countries in the world; therefore, they may support lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and inter-sex parents to a greater extent.
  
  
  METHODS
  Systematic literature review and meta-synthesis.
  
  
  METHODS
  A systematic search was conducted for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and inter-sex parents' experiences in the child health field, which consists of prenatal, labour and birth, postnatal and child health clinics, using PubMed, PsychInfo, Sociological Abstracts and CINAHL, as well as searching the grey literature, from 2000-2015. Ten articles were included. A quality assessment and a meta-synthesis of the articles were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nearly all studies were qualitative, and most articles had at least one area of insufficient reporting. Only two countries, Sweden and Norway, had lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and inter-sex parents reporting on the child health field. However, gay, bisexual, transgender and inter-sex parents' perspectives were nonexistent in the literature; therefore, the results all relate to same-sex mothers. Five themes were found: Acceptance of Same-sex Mothers, Disclosing Sexual Orientation, Heteronormative Obstacles, Co-mothers are Not Fathers, and Being the Other Parent.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Same-sex mothers are generally accepted within the Nordic child health field, but they still face overt and covert heteronormative obstacles, resulting in forms of discrimination and fear. Co-mothers feel invisible and secondary if they are not treated like an equal parent, but feel noticed and important when they are given equal support.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Changes at the organisational and personnel levels can be made to better support same-sex mothers and co-mothers. Recognising both parents benefits the whole family.
authors.affiliation: Child and Adolescent Public Health Epidemiology Group, Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.|Centre for Health Equity Studies (CHESS), Stockholm University/Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Michael B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Wells
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Sarah N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Lang
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002662:Child Health Services; D005260:Female; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D024802:Nurse's Role; D012537:Scandinavian and Nordic Countries; D000072339:Sexual and Gender Minorities / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Norway; Scandinavia; Sweden; child health centres; labour and birth wards; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender; postnatal clinics; prenatal clinics; same-sex fathers; same-sex mothers