Associations between heteronormative information, parental support and stress among same-sex mothers in Sweden-A web survey.
Heléne Appelgren Engström, Catrin Borneskog, Carina Loeb and 2 others
PMID 34237202WHAT IT FOUND
Same-sex mothers reported stressful assisted reproduction journeys and insufficient emotional support.
Non-birth mothers felt significantly less acknowledged than birthmothers. High exposure to heteronormative information correlated with lower perceived support. Parenting stress levels, however, were low.
Key findings
01Non-birth mothers reported significantly lower parental support and acknowledgement in antenatal care compared to birthmothers.
02Higher perceived heteronormative information was associated with lower perceived parental support and higher perceived parenting stress.
03Most mothers experienced the assisted reproduction process as stressful, and less than half felt supported by parental groups.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was self-selected and cannot be generalized to all same-sex mothers. The study relied on self-reported data. The Swedish Parenting Stress Questionnaire (SPSQ) was not designed specifically for same-sex parents and may miss unique challenges. The group of mothers who had experience as both birthmother and non-birth mother was too small (N=10) for comparison. It is unknown if some participants were couples, which could have affected the results.
Declared interests
The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the lack of difference in parenting stress scores between birthmothers and non-birth mothers as evidence that non-birth mothers receive equal support. The survey explicitly found that non-birth mothers reported significantly lower acknowledgement and support from healthcare professionals, even if their overall stress levels did not differ statistically.