Children Born by Surrogacy and Raised by Gay Fathers: Role of Coparenting, Support, and Discrimination

• In Event: Child’s attachment and Functioning, Coparenting, and Parents’ Needs in Gay, Lesbian, and Heterosexual Parent Families

Abstract

Introduction: Research on same-sex parenting shows that children function as well as children from heterosexual families (Golombok, 2017). Yet, this field of research first focused on adopted children or conceived in prior heterosexual relationships, leading to bias related to adoption stress or divorce. Many studies also focused on lesbian mothers and on US samples, only a limited number looked at children born via surrogacy and raised by gay fathers in Europe.
Method: We examined the differences in child functioning of 67 children born via surrogacy raised by gay fathers compared to 67 children raised in heterosexual families in Europe (Mage=3.59 years, SD=2.10, 54% boys). Samples were paired by child’s age, gender and parents’ socio-economic status. They only differed on parent’s age (older in surrogacy gay fathers group) and parent’s gender. We used parent-reports of child functioning (CBCL), parenting styles (PSDQ), coparenting (McHale scale) and task sharing (Who does what), anti-gay discrimination (FAMS) and perceived social support (MSPSS). MANOVA’s were conducted to assess the relation between family type (children raised by gay fathers and born through surrogacy compared to children raised in hetero) and child behavior problems (internalizing, externalizing, total problems), parenting styles and coparenting. Regression models were used to assess the relation between perceived discrimination and support with child functioning, parenting and coparenting in the gay fathers’ sample.
Results: There was no significant difference for parenting styles or coparenting but task sharing between parents was more balanced and couple relationship more positive between gay fathers than for other parents. Children born by surrogacy raised by gay fathers had fewer internalizing, externalizing and total behavior problems than children raised in heterosexual families. For children raised by gay fathers, anti-gay discrimination contributed to explain internalizing behavior, with authoritarian style. Support from family contributed to explain coparenting with authoritarian style and total problems.
Conclusions: Children born by surrogacy and raised by gay fathers showed less behavior problems than children raised in heterosexual families. This study also documents the negative impact of anti-gay discrimination and the positive effect of perceived social support on parenting and child functioning.

Authors

• Benedicte Mouton, University of Brussels (ULB)
  Presenting Author

• Salvatore D'Amore, Université Libre de Bruxelles
  Non-Presenting Author

• Robert-Jay Green, California School of Professional Psychology
  Non-Presenting Author