The field of literature on gay male parenting is small, especially compared to the number of studies on lesbian parenting. No meta-analysis has specifically compared the children of gay fathers to the children of heterosexual parents nor has any meta-analysis applied the newly developed quality-effects model to this field of research. The current study applied the fixed effects, random effects, and quality-effects models of meta-analysis to 10 studies (35 standardized mean differences) from the past 10 years to evaluate child psychological adjustment by parent sexual orientation. Studies both within and outside of the United States with a range of child ages and sample sizes were included. The quality-effects model of meta-analysis helps mitigate error caused by methodological differences in studies in addition to random error attributed to small sample sizes, making it the most appropriate model for this study. Although the quality-effects model provided results closest to our hypothesis that there would be no difference, results indicated that children of gay fathers had significantly better outcomes than did children of heterosexual parents in all 3 models of meta-analysis. These results may be attributable to potential higher socioeconomic status for gay fathers traditionally associated with dual earner households, better preparedness for fatherhood in the face of strong antigay stigma directed at same-sex families, and more egalitarian parenting roles. Limitations and implications of the study are discussed. Public Significance StatementResults suggest that children of gay fathers have better outcomes than do children of heterosexual couples. As an early study in a growing field, the current study highlights the need for further research in areas such as parental preparation, family support resources, and nontraditional family types.

Linehan (1993) theorized that the experience of invalidating parenting interacts with emotional vulnerability in the development of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Parental psychological control is a type of invalidating parenting, defined as manipulation by parents of their offspring's psychological and emotional expression and experience (Barber, 1996). In a normative sample of adolescent females, adolescent-reported maternal psychological control was related to maternal borderline symptoms (Zalewski et al., 2014). The current study expanded on these findings to sample mothers with a diagnosis of BPD (n = 28) and normative comparisons (n = 28) with male and female adolescents aged 14-18. We assessed maternal and adolescent self-reported borderline features (affective instability, negative relationships, identity disturbance, and self-harm) and coded maternal psychological control from filmed problem-solving interactions. Controlling for current major depressive disorder and family income, mothers with BPD used more total psychological control with their adolescents in comparison with normative mothers. Further, maternal psychological control was positively associated with all mothers' borderline features and with adolescent affective instability. Finally, we found a significant indirect effect for maternal affective instability between maternal total psychological control and adolescent affective instability. We discuss adolescents' risk of developing BPD themselves and prevention and treatment implications. (PsycINFO Database Record

There is some evidence that maternal borderline personality disorder (BPD) adversely affects parenting in infancy, resulting in disorganized attachment, which longitudinally predicts BPD symptoms in adulthood. We examined parenting related to disorganized attachment beyond infancy in offspring of mothers with BPD, when parenting becomes a goal-corrected partnership. We observed puzzle solving in a low socioeconomic status (SES) sample of mothers with BPD and their children ages 4-7, n = 36, and normative comparisons, n = 34. Compared with normative mothers and controlling for maternal mood disorders, mothers with BPD were less likely to be sensitive and provide autonomy support, and were more likely to be hostile and display fearful/disoriented behavior and higher levels of parent-child role reversal. We additionally found correlations between parenting and self-reported maternal borderline features. We discuss implications for child development, including possible transmission of BPD from mothers to children via representational models, and developmentally appropriate preventive interventions.

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a severe and chronic mental illness. Self-reported borderline features correlate highly with a diagnosis (affective instability, negative relationships, unstable sense of self, self-harm). Etiological factors of BPD include childhood maltreatment. The current study compared the experience of maltreatment in adolescent offspring of mothers with BPD, who are themselves at risk of developing the disorder, with that of offspring of mothers with no current diagnosis. Participants were 56 adolescents aged 14 to 18 years. In all, 93% of the adolescents whose mothers had BPD experienced maltreatment compared with 60% of comparisons. Specifically, adolescent offspring of mothers with BPD experienced more physical abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect, but not more sexual abuse, than did comparisons. Dimensions of maltreatment (severity, multiple subtypes, chronicity) were associated with adolescents' own total borderline features. We discuss implications for the intergenerational transmission of BPD and for clinical interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record

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Highlights A professional organization does not recommend opioid detoxification in pregnancy. Medically-assisted treatment (MAT) is recommended to reduce relapse and dropout. We sampled 55 pregnant women who misused opioids who chose detoxification or MAT. There was no dropout in either group and more relapse with MAT than detoxification. Replication and follow-up are needed to assess relative rates of relapse postpartum.

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The current study examined the intergenerational transmission of child maltreatment in the context of maternal self-reported borderline features (affective instability, negative relationships, identity disturbance, and self-harm/impulsivity) and a maternal borderline personality disorder (BPD) diagnosis. We sampled 41 adolescents of 14 to 18 years of age and their mothers. A total of 19 mothers had a diagnosis of BPD, and 22 mothers were comparisons without the disorder. Results revealed that a maternal diagnosis of BPD was associated with physical abuse, physical neglect, emotional abuse, emotional neglect, and sexual abuse, but not supervisory neglect. Maternal BPD features were associated with emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and physical neglect, but not physical abuse, emotional neglect, or supervisory neglect. Results indicated that families whose mother had BPD experienced more intergenerational transmission of child maltreatment (regardless of perpetrator) between mothers and their adolescent offspring than did offspring of normative comparisons. Further, the borderline feature of negative relationships most strongly predicted transmission to the next generation. Neglect and overall maltreatment transmitted from mother to adolescent, whereas sexual abuse and physical abuse did not. Results are discussed in terms of the cascading impact of maltreatment across generations, particularly in families of mothers with BPD.