Issue Of Parenthood Research Articles

Legal regulation of gamete and embryo donation: global and national trends (literature review)

While the assisted reproductive technologies have been available for several decades, there still exists a great divergence in legal frameworks regulating reproductive donation. 
 The article discusses legal regulations on embryo and gamete (sperm and oocytes) donation in Europe, Americas, Canada and Australia. The search for publications was carried out in all available bibliographic and abstract databases (RSCI, Scopus, Web of Science, CyberLeninka, eLibrary, PubMed) containing reports on the subject of the article. The main search restrictions were the language of publications (English and Russian) and the date of reports (not earlier than 2000). We seek to chart global trends and identify major legislative “gaps”; the latter emerge because each type of reproductive donation causes specific conflicts and calls for specific regulations. There is a visible trend towards open gamete donation across the globe as more and more governments insist on deanonymization of donors. Legislators intend to protect children’s interests and to secure their right to identify their biological parents. Financial remuneration is perceived differently, and regulations diverge across the globe. Many governments permit reimbursements, but do not allow any commercial payoffs. Yet, issues of parenthood and donor-recipient obligations remain quite controversial, which results in divergent legal frameworks. Sperm donation is the least controversial and safest procedure; therefore, it is legal in all countries and is allowed in non-medical setting. On the other hand, informal sperm donation requires targeted legal regulations. Parenthood and anonymity in sperm donation also cause concern and require specific legislation. In some countries, oocyte donation is illegal while in others it is under severe limitations. Currently medical treatment and observation of oocyte donors after ART cycles is not yet legally regulated, which leaves women unprotected from post-donation health issues. Embryo donation hinges on the status of the embryo. Specific definition will determine the consequences including from adoption to research use. There remains a problem of authority over embryo’s future in cases of a spouse’s death or divorce.

THE USE OF MEDICALLY ASSISTED PROCREATION METHODS IN THE LATEST JURISPRUDENCE OF THE ITALIAN CONSTITUTIONAL COURT

On January 28, 2021, the Italian Constitutional Court issued two judgments (Judgment No. 32/2021 and Judgment No. 33/2021) in which it ruled that the Italian Parliament should enact legislation on the legal recognition of the relationship between a child born using medically assisted procreation methods and his or her intending (intended) parent, i.e. a person who was involved in the conception and birth of that child, who is not genetically related to him or her, but who takes care of him or her from the moment of his or her birth, exercising de facto parental authority over him or her. The Italian Constitutional Court, in its argumentation on the use of medically assisted procreation methods, similarly to the ECHR, took into account mainly the protection of the rights of the child, completely ignoring the anti-discriminatory issue of parenthood of same-sex couples, which is one of the controversial areas in many respects (legal, medical and ethical) in changing social relations. This position of the Italian Court realizes a legitimizing-justifying relationship with the ECHR

La parentalité à l’épreuve de la mucoviscidose. Expérience des parents atteints

Medical progress affords patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) the opportunity to become parents. To assess the psychological issues of parenthood in persons with cystic fibrosis. Semi-structured interviews on parenthood, conducted by a psychologist with CF parents treated at the Cystic Fibrosis Center and the Transplantation Center of Foch hospital (Suresnes, France). Twenty-one (21) fathers and 22 mothers participated; 84% had become parents through pregnancy, 14% via adoption and one woman by means of surrogacy; 73% of the women and 67% of the men had done so prior to lung transplantation, while 25% had achieved parenthood without or against medical advice. As parents, they suffered from a lack of familial and medical support for their parental projects and a lack of recognition of their reproductive difficulties. While the desire for a child may be initially repressed by potentially life-threatening risks, a loving couple with a satisfying sexual life may in many instances surmount the repression and express the desire, which is not only the desire for a potentially life-bearing body, but also the desire to start a family.

Who are my parents? Determining parenthood of surrogate children under Chinese law

ABSTRACT The underground domestic surrogacy market is an open secret in China and many rich Chinese people have had their own children by using overseas surrogacy services. Although the Chinese national legislature has not expressed its legal position with respect to the legality of surrogacy, courts have taken an increasing number of surrogacy disputes in the past two decades, a substantial portion of which dispute over parenthood of surrogate children. The question ‘who are my parents’ requires a legal answer; otherwise, surrogate children will be left in legal limbo in terms of their parentage and sometimes nationality as well. Given its theoretical and practical significance, this article systematically analyses the issue of parenthood of surrogacy children under Chinese law and its implications for the issue of the legality of surrogacy. It finds that Chinese law, which accepts a three-parent model in certain circumstances, has recently creatively developed a dual approach to solving this legal question: the dominant biological connection test and the supplementary test of ‘constructive parenthood based on the stepparent-stepchild relationship’, the latter enabling courts to grant parenthood to a nonbiological intended parent. After assessing the dual approach, it further argues that the approach results in a backdoor acceptance of surrogacy arrangements and Chinese law, therefore, should face up to the increasing demand by infertile families for surrogacy and draw a clear line between lawful and unlawful surrogacy arrangements in accordance with the prevailing ethical views, the newly introduced three-child policy, and the relevant policies concerning woman and minor protection.

Parenthood of Deaf mothers of hearing CODA children: Overview of selected research

The aim of this article is to attempt to present the issue of parenthood of Deaf mothers of hearing, underage children (KODA). The presented subject is important from a scientific and cognitive point of view due to the important role of a mother in the family, and also due to the deficit of empirical research and scientific studies in the area of parenthood of Deaf mothers of KODA children. This article consists of five parts. Part one introduces the adopted terminological conventions and also draws attention to the issue of Deaf mothers from mixed-hearing status families as a rarely described or explored area. Part two and three form an attempt at synthetic description of the situation of Deaf mothers, as well as the situation of their hearing children (KODA). The main part of this article focuses on selected empirical studies carried out both in Poland and abroad. The article concludes with the author's summary and conclusions, highlighting that Deaf mothers, in their parental role, encounter a number of barriers regarding, among others, communication, access to information or social perception of parenthood of people with a damaged hearing.

Evaluations of Parenting by Same-Sex vs Different-Sex Couples among Heterosexual University Students: Experimental Between-Subjects Vignette Design Study

Despite the decline in prejudice towards LGBT people, the issue of parenthood is still controversial with negative attitudes towards LGBT parents being openly expressed. This study aimed to examine attitudes towards parenting by same-sex couples using a vignette design. Parenting condition (parent’s negative vs positive reaction), active parent’s gender (mother vs father) and family composition (different-sex vs same-sex couple) were varied to test differences in the evaluations of parenting, child behaviour, family environment, social distance and willingness to grant rights. 392 heterosexual and cisgender students from the University of Zagreb (87% female, 13% male), aged 18 to 37, participated in an online study. After reading one of the eight vignettes, participants evaluated parenting, child behaviour, family environment, social distance and rights of the family described in the vignette. The results showed that parenting and family environment were evaluated as better, and participants were less convinced that the child’s behaviour is the result of parents’ relationship in the positive parenting condition than in the negative. Social distance was lower towards parents in the positive parenting condition than in the negative and – unexpectedly – towards same-sex in comparison to different-sex couples. Participants were more inclined to grant family rights to parents from the positive than to those from the negative parenting condition. Although other results suggested unbiased attitudes towards same-sex couples’ parenting, participants were less inclined to grant same-sex couples family rights in comparison to different-sex couples. The findings reflect an important mechanism underlying the stability of prejudice – a resistance towards generalising attitudes from individual cases to a group. This can be used in efforts to confront prejudice against parenting among LGBT people

La parentalité des mères psychotiques et sa prise en charge en psychiatrie vue par les professionnels de santé

ObjectivesParenthood of mothers with a psychotic disorder has become a growing social reality that requires specific care. This study was carried out to shed light on an understudied topic that raises a number of ethical questions. The purpose of this study was to explore the point of view of healthcare professionals working in psychiatry services about parenthood of psychotic mothers and what they are offered in terms of support and care. MethodsSixteen health professionals working in psychiatry services responded to a semi-directive interview. They were recruited on a voluntary basis. Anonymity was ensured and all professionals gave their written informed consent to participate in the study. Interview's content was transcribed verbatim then examined through a qualitative thematic analysis. ResultsThe interviews highlighted contrasting representations of these mothers’ parenthood. Whilst the weaknesses and difficulties in parenting and education were predominantly mentioned, mothers’ resources and skills were hardly acknowledged. Although attachment to the child was one of the few resources noticed, the professionals named 25 items relating to parenting problems. The main ones related to the impact on the child of the symptoms of the maternal mental disorder, and to difficulties in coping with daily tasks. A lack of empathy was also observed in these mothers. The parent's difficulties appeared to be more significant depending on the child's developmental stage. Family support was described as essential in helping these mothers with parenting. However, parenting issues seem to be very seldom taken into account by adult psychiatric services, as most health professionals believe these questions do not fall within their field of activity. A lack of training and information on this issue is seen as one of the main barriers regarding this topic. Besides, the organization of psychiatric services in France, with its child and adult sectors, appears to be a barrier to a joint work of child psychiatry and adult psychiatry. However, for these professionals, psychiatry in general remained the place where the issue of parenthood should be addressed. Children of psychotic mothers were perceived as suffering from the parent's difficulties, yet reporting situations where the children were in danger remained an unusual practice in adult psychiatry. This was considered as belonging to the realm of other institutions, or of child psychiatry. Lack of knowledge about existing procedures and partners appeared to limit assessments of situations of concern that should be reported. These results invite to discuss on models of support, for instance based on empowerment and recovery approaches. These models build on the strengths and resources of people who are seen as stakeholders in their own care journey. Given the impact of parenting on the mental health of these mothers, implementing recovery programs that focus on sexuality and parenthood could be effective. Providing health professionals with information might raise their awareness of their role in taking charge of the patients in a comprehensive perspective that includes parenthood issues. Professionals’ practices seemed to be more focused on the patient and his symptoms rather than on all aspects of their personal life (family, children, work). Finally, some ethical issues are discussed. Parenthood of psychotic mothers deserves a global approach, including work in partnership. Although the law lays down the principle of shared secrecy, some professionals still remain reserved about sharing relevant information, given the medical confidentiality principle. These issues also appear to be an argument for refusing to report a child as requiring a child protection intervention. ConclusionAlthough its limitations, in particular the low number of professionals who agreed to participate, this study sheds new light on a scarcely studied issue that deserves more attention given the increasing number of patients with children who are cared in psychiatric services.

Mental health nurses' and psychiatrists' views on addressing parenthood issues among service users.

Mental health professionals (MHPs) are in a central position to provide support for mental health service users (MHSUs) in regard to parental needs, from preconception to caring for children. This study aims to examine whether mental health nurses and psychiatrists regard the issue of having children and being a parent as relevant to be considered in a clinical setting, how they describe the MHPs' roles and responsibilities in this regard, and to what extent they feel willing and able to fulfil these demands. A qualitative approach was undertaken by conducting four focus groups with 30 MHPs (15 nurses and 15 psychiatrists) within an inpatient mental health service in south Germany. We found that MHPs generally acknowledged the importance of parenting issues for psychiatric treatment. However, they assessed the talks between MHPs and MHSUs about parenting as less relevant in routine practice; the issue of the desire for children in particular was seen as generally not important. Addressing parenthood issues was restricted to mainly two areas: clarifying children's situations during inpatient treatment and considering medication issues among (potentially) pregnant service users. MHPs' focus on the adult service user, privacy, and historical issues were the main arguments against addressing parenthood issues.

‘Mom might have a job (or be socializing too much!)’ – ‘The right to love’, children’s sexuality and parenthood

Abstract Having been unavailable for many years, the Swedish film Rätten att älska (‘The right to love’) was restored by the Swedish Film Institute in 2013 and made accessible for research. In many ways a typical example of the sex education film genre of its time, the film is simultaneously unusual because it deals with children’s sexuality. This article explores and discusses the representation of children in the film in relation to how it connects to issues of parenthood.

Dealing with Parenthood among Mental Health Service Users During Inpatient Treatment: Mental Health Professionals' Perspectives to Barriers and Facilitators

Study aims To gain insight into mental health professionals' subjective perceptions of parenthood among psychiatric patients during inpatient treatment. Methods 31 problem-centered semi-structured interviews with psychiatric professionals were conducted and analyzed by content analysis methods. Results From participants' perspectives, parenthood issues are mainly relevant during hospital admission when child care has to be secured. Participants reported the following barriers: sickness aspects, fears of patients, lack of time and professional knowledge on parenthood issues in clinical care. Discussion Structural barriers which hinder consideration of parenthood issues beyond hospital admission should be reduced.

Families in transition: A literature review

Research on the transgender population is often limited to their medical care, and in particular to their mental well-being. The social and family environment in which a social gender role transition takes place is often overlooked. Although research is limited, this article reviews the existing literature on the family aspect of a gender transition. Articles regarding three different aspects were selected for this review: first, the issue of parenthood during transition and the experiences of children with a transgender parent, second, the experiences of partners and ex-partners of transgender individuals, and third, the experiences of parents with a gender variant child. Articles were restricted to those with a focus on family members and situations during transition. For all three contexts, several mediating factors, both individual and social, were distinguished. Various challenges for future research were identified.

Fertility and parenthood issues in young female cancer patients--a systematic review.

For young women who were diagnosed with cancer prior to having children, reproductive potential might affect the quality of life (QoL). This systematic review looks at fertility issues in young female cancer patients, focusing on their influence on psychological well-being, specific fertility-related interventions and reproductive decisions. Thirteen medical and social science databases were searched for relevant articles up to December 2012, according to PRISMA guidelines. Twenty-six articles meeting the eligibility criteria were included in the review, along with 5 additional papers that missed the inclusion criteria narrowly. Narrative synthesis was used to analyse the studies. Depression, anxiety and quality of life (QoL) seemed to be related to the perceptions of reproductive issues rather than to the fertility status based on the type of treatment received. Fertility-related interventions improved patients' QoL, decisional regret, and decisional conflict. Finally, cancer influenced women's reproductive decisions. Pursuing pregnancy was affected mainly by worries about child's and mother's health. Decisions about treatment were influenced by the wish to preserve fertility. The generalisability of these results might be undermined by small sample sizes and homogeneity of participants within and across the studies. Inferences about causality of associations are problematic due to predominantly cross-sectional design. The existing literature gives preliminary insight into the importance of fertility for young women diagnosed with cancer. However, more research is needed in order to offer patients comprehensive care.

Exploration of the experiences of young mothers seeking and accessing health services

Objective: The objective was to explore young mothers’ experiences of seeking and accessing health services, specifically maternity care. Study design: A phenomenological approach underpinned by the work of Husserl and guided by the framework offered by Giorgi. Participants: A purposive sample of seven young mothers took part in audio-recorded unstructured interviews in either the young mother’s home or in a private room at their GP practice. Findings: Six themes emerged from the initial thematic analysis: (1) feeling abandoned, (2) information is vital, (3) feeling judged, (4) family and friends, (5) interference, (6) younger mothers need additional support. After ‘bracketing’ the preconceptions evident in the initial analysis, essential themes describing the young mothers’ experience of accessing healthcare were identified: (1) the need for support and information; (2) fear of stigmatisation and stigmatisation of self. Conclusions: The young mothers in this study experienced a need for support and information, which reflects the findings of previous studies. This study has added to the knowledge base as it also found that these young mothers were hindered from obtaining or making use of available support and information through fear or expectation of stigmatisation and self-stigmatisation. There is a need to improve availability of support and information for young mothers, who may benefit from one-to-one education to help them gain confidence to deal with pregnancy and parenthood issues. Further research on young mothers’ perceptions of maternity service provision will advance understanding of young mothers’ help and support needs during pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period.

Formulações sobre o desejo e a economia da angústia na adolescência

This paper expands issues developed in our doctoral research, included on the subject psychoanalysis and education. Our starting point is the documentary movie Pro dia nascer feliz, by João Jardim, about education of young Brazilian citizens and their perspectives for the future. We took some elements of the film in order to propose that unconscious desire makes possible to these youth a commitment with tomorrow, as well as standing up against anguish and abandonment, both aroused by contemporary uncertainties. In this context, first education is questioned and the issue of parenthood is fundamental to consider the exogamy that adolescence traversing requires to accomplish.

Situational and generalised conduct problems and later life outcomes: evidence from a New Zealand birth cohort

There is considerable evidence suggesting that many children show conduct problems that are specific to a given context (home; school). What is less well understood is the extent to which children with situation-specific conduct problems show similar outcomes to those with generalised conduct problems. Data were gathered as part of the Christchurch Health and Development Study, a 25-year longitudinal study of a birth cohort of New Zealand children. Information was obtained on: (a) conduct problems during the period 7-9 years; (b) criminal offending during the period 16-25 years; (c) measures of DSM-IV mental disorders and suicidal behaviour over the interval 16-25 years; (d) measures of DSM-IV substance dependence over the interval 16-25 years; and (e) measures of relationship, pregnancy, and parenthood outcomes during the period 16-25 years. Latent-class modelling suggested three distinct groups of children with conduct problems: those with mother reports; those with teacher reports; and those with both mother and teacher reports. Both situation-specific and generalised conduct disorder were associated with increased risk of criminal offending, mental health disorders, substance dependence, and relationship and parenthood issues in late adolescence and early adulthood. There is a need for recognition of the significance of situation-specific conduct problems in both developmental theory and in the treatment of childhood conduct disorders. A focus only on those children with generalised conduct problems is likely to overlook the features and needs of children whose conduct problems are confined to a specific context.

Longing and fearing for dialogue with children—Depressed parents’ way into Beardslee's preventive family intervention

There is a growing interest in prevention of mental disorders in children of mentally ill parents. Beardslee's preventive family intervention is a method recently introduced into Sweden. When asking parents to participate in this intervention, it has become evident how sensitive the issue of parenthood is to our patients. The study aims at exploring what depressed parents considered as obstacles and facilitating factors for accepting Beardslee's family intervention. Ten parents from two psychiatric clinics and one primary healthcare centre in northern Sweden were interviewed by semi-structured technique. Nine of these parents had accepted and participated in Beardslee's family intervention; one parent had been offered but refused participation. Data were analysed according to grounded theory. The main reason for taking part was the lack of dialogue these parents perceived with their children. There were difficulties in talking about and finding words to explain the depression. The parents were worried about their children, wishing to know how the children were actually feeling, and wanting the professionals to take a look at them. To open up was both frightening and tempting. It implied the consideration of many aspects: the right timing, shame and guilt, the partner's interest, the children's willingness and the involvement of professionals. The findings show the delicacy of the issue of children's well-being when a parent is depressed and they highlight some important topics to discuss with the parents when preventive interventions are offered.

Reproductive choice in men and women living with HIV: evidence from a large representative sample of outpatients attending French hospitals (ANRS-EN12-VESPA Study)

In France, the third decade of the HIV epidemic is characterized by a lower age among women who have been recently infected with HIV. This study analysed factors associated with the desire for a child in a sample of heterosexual women and men of reproductive age living with HIV. Individuals of reproductive age within the VESPA study were included in the analysis. Desire for a child was analysed according to reproductive potential, cultural aspects and HIV-related health condition (CD4 cell count, plasma HIV load and being on treatment). A total of 555 women and 699 men who self-identified as heterosexual and did not report a medical diagnosis of infertility, were included in the analysis. Among them, 33% of the women and 20% of the men stated that they expected to have children in the future. In multivariate analysis, significant predictors of the desire for a child included factors associated with reproductive potential (younger age, already being a parent, regular relationship), the HIV status of the regular partner and ethnicity (African origin). HIV-related health status did not affect reproductive intentions among men and women. For both men and women, reproductive potential, ethnicity and partner's HIV status influenced the desire for a child, whereas the person's own clinical condition in relation to HIV had low impact. Reproductive counselling integrated into HIV care should take into account cultural aspects in order to help people living with HIV examine issues of parenthood.