Meaning in Life Among Middle-Aged and Older Gay and Heterosexual Fathers

Shenkman, Geva; Ifrah, Kfir; Shmotkin, Dov

doi:10.1177/0192513x17741922

Cited by 17 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 55 publications

(69 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Accordingly, Israeli investigations have found that, compared to heterosexual fathers, gay fathers report better subjective well-being and life meaning (Erez & Shenkman, 2016 ; Shenkman et al, 2018 a, 2018 b, 2020 ). Likewise, a higher self-perceived parental role (i.e., subjective assessments parents make regarding their self-efficacy, competence, and investment in parenthood) has been shown to be associated with less adverse mental health indicators (i.e., depressive symptoms, neuroticism, negative emotions) among gay—but not heterosexual—fathers (Shenkman & Shmotkin, 2020 ).…”

Section: Parents’ Mental Health As a Function Of Sexual Orientationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We were especially interested in negative aspects of mental health, such as depression and negative affect, and positive aspects, such as life satisfaction and positive affect. Operationalizing mental health into these negative and positive indicators is quite common (e.g., Shenkman & Shmotkin, 2020 ; Shenkman et al, 2018 a 2018 b). Also, as the study was conducted during the Covid-19, we further included resilience and positivity as crucial positive mental health indicators to account for individuals’ strengths (Davydov et al, 2010 ; Thartori et al, 2021 ).…”

Section: Parents’ Mental Health As a Function Of Sexual Orientationmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Assisted Conception Socialization Self-Efficacy Among Israeli Lesbian, Gay, and Heterosexual Parent Families and its Association with Child Externalizing Problems

et al. 2022

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This questionnaire-based study compared 36 Israeli lesbian mother families ( n = 72 lesbian mothers) formed by donor insemination, 39 Israeli gay father families ( n = 78 gay fathers) formed by gestational surrogacy, and 36 Israeli heterosexual parent families ( n = 72 heterosexual parents) formed by assisted reproduction (without donated gametes), all with a target child aged 3–10 years. The families were examined for parents’ assisted conception socialization self-efficacy, depression, negative and positive affect, life satisfaction, positivity, resilience, social support, and child externalizing problems. Multiple factors associated with child externalizing problems were also examined. Multilevel modeling analyses indicated that parents’ assisted conception socialization self-efficacy did not differ between family groups; however, lesbian mothers and gay fathers reported fewer child externalizing problems and greater social support, relative to heterosexual parents. Also, lesbian mothers—but not gay fathers—reported lower levels of depression, greater life satisfaction, and more positivity than did heterosexual parents. Finally, irrespective of family type, greater assisted conception socialization self-efficacy was associated with fewer parent-reported child externalizing problems. Findings are interpreted in light of the cultural socialization framework and Israel’s familistic and pronatalist environment. Implications for health professionals, educators, and policymakers working with diverse family forms are discussed.

show abstract

Section: Parents’ Mental Health As a Function Of Sexual Orientationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Parents’ Mental Health As a Function Of Sexual Orientationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assisted Conception Socialization Self-Efficacy Among Israeli Lesbian, Gay, and Heterosexual Parent Families and its Association with Child Externalizing Problems

et al. 2022

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Van Rijn-van Gelderen et al (2018) for example compared the well-being of gay fathers through surrogacy with heterosexual IVF parent families from three European countries (United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and France) and found no differences on parental stress, depression, anxiety, or relationship satisfaction between the two groups. Shenkman et al (2018), compared Israeli gay fathers with children from a previous heterosexual relationship and heterosexual fathers and found gay fathers reported higher levels of personal growth (feelings of continued development and self-improvement alongside a sense of personal fulfillment). The authors suggested that gay fathers from a previous heterosexual relationship had probably overcome numerous challenges entailed in the complex course of coming out to oneself and their ex-spouse and children.…”

Section: Pathways To Gay Fatherhoodmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pathways to Fatherhood: Psychological Well-Being Among Israeli Gay Fathers Through Surrogacy, Gay Fathers Through Previous Heterosexual Relationships, and Heterosexual Fathers

et al. 2020

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study explored differences in psychological well-being as assessed by life satisfaction, parenthood satisfaction, depressive symptoms and the Big Five personality dimensions among 219 Israeli fathers; 76 gay men who had become fathers through a heterosexual relationship, 63 gay men who had become fathers through surrogacy, and 78 heterosexual men. After controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, gay fathers through surrogacy reported greater satisfaction with parenthood, greater satisfaction with their lives, and reported higher levels of extraversion when compared to heterosexual fathers. No significant differences emerged between the three groups on depressive symptoms, neuroticism, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and openness to experience. These findings emphasize the predominant similarities and some possible differences on psychological well-being between the different paths to fatherhood. This study is one of the first to compare several paths to fatherhood on psychological wellbeing, thus illuminating the contribution of fatherhood route to psychological well-being in an era where gay men are increasingly becoming fathers in diverse ways.

show abstract

“…Furthermore, only among gay fathers was self-perceived parental role linked with less adverse mental health indicators (depression, negative emotions, and neuroticism) [ 19 ]. In another study, which examined middle-aged and older Israeli gay men, 76 who had become fathers in a previous heterosexual relationship were compared with 110 who were not fathers, and 114 heterosexual fathers [ 63 ]. Results showed that self-reported personal growth was higher among gay fathers than among heterosexual fathers after controlling for differences in socio-demographics between the groups.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

What We Know and What Remains to Be Explored about LGBTQ Parent Families in Israel: A Sociocultural Perspective

Shenkman

Segal‐Engelchin

Ben‐Ari

2022

IJERPH

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper reviews research on gay and lesbian parent families in Israel through cultural lenses while recognizing the diversity of these families. The major aims of the review are: (1) to provide an overview of the situation of LGBTQ parent families in Israel, as well as of the sociocultural background of the Israeli context and its effects on sexual minorities and LGBTQ parent families; and (2) to identify the limitations and lacunas in the existing research and shed light on what remains to be explored. We searched numerous databases for relevant studies, adopting a narrative approach to summarize the main findings while taking into account the literature on the socio-cultural context in Israel and its impact on sexual minorities and LGBTQ parent families. The search yielded empirical results only for gay and lesbian parent families, with studies emphasizing the challenges they face and the factors related to their well-being and that of LGB individuals aspiring to become parents. In addition, it revealed that research on children’s psychosocial adjustment as a function of parental sexual orientation is quite scarce in Israel. Moreover, it indicated the absence of investigations of bisexual, transgender, or queer parents. We conclude that the sociocultural context of Israel, including its pronatalist and familistic orientation, may play an important role in shaping the experiences of LGBTQ parent families, and should be taken into consideration when studying LGBTQ parents.

show abstract

Meaning in Life Among Middle-Aged and Older Gay and Heterosexual Fathers

Cited by 17 publications

References 55 publications

Assisted Conception Socialization Self-Efficacy Among Israeli Lesbian, Gay, and Heterosexual Parent Families and its Association with Child Externalizing Problems

Assisted Conception Socialization Self-Efficacy Among Israeli Lesbian, Gay, and Heterosexual Parent Families and its Association with Child Externalizing Problems

Pathways to Fatherhood: Psychological Well-Being Among Israeli Gay Fathers Through Surrogacy, Gay Fathers Through Previous Heterosexual Relationships, and Heterosexual Fathers

What We Know and What Remains to Be Explored about LGBTQ Parent Families in Israel: A Sociocultural Perspective

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About