Gay and Lesbian Parenting: A Systematic Review of Themes and Methodological Strategies of Brazilian Research

• Published in: Sexuality research & social policy Vol. 20; no. 1; pp. 177 - 197
• Main Authors: de Brito Silva, Bruno, Gaspodini, Icaro Bonamigo, Wagner, Adriana, Falcke, Denise
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01-03-2023; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Behavioral Science and Psychology; Content analysis; Discrimination; Families & family life; Family relations; Gays & lesbians; Health education; Health promotion; Health research; Health services; Homosexuality; Lesbian parents; Lesbianism; Mass media effects; Mass media images; Multiculturalism & pluralism; Parents & parenting; Prejudice; Psychology; Quality assessment; Reproductive technologies; Research methodology; Resilience; Sexism; Sexual Behavior; Snowball sampling; Social Sciences; Social support; Stigma; Strategies; Systematic review; Parenting; Systematic review; Method; LGB
• ISSN: 1868-9884; 1553-6610
• DOI: 10.1007/s13178-021-00673-9

Introduction
This study aimed to review themes and methodological strategies of the Brazilian scientific literature regarding families headed by gay and lesbian parents.
Methods
We performed the searches in November 2019 and January 2020 in the Web of Science, EBSCOHost, PUBMED/MEDLINE, and PsycINFO databases, from 2009 to 2019, in Portuguese and English languages, and yielded 20 eligible articles. We followed PRISMA protocol guidelines and we carried out a thematic analysis in
NVivo
.
Results
Four broad themes emerged from the thematic analysis of the data available in the articles retrieved: (a) Family conceptions: the historical importance of the biological bond and the idea of affection as a means by which these parents and their children co-construct a sense of family; (b) parenting routes and their repercussions for the couple and/or in family relations; (c) prejudice against sexual diversity, social support, and the impact on family relationships; (d) literary and media representations and expectations regarding gay and lesbian parenting.
Conclusions
The results showed that most Brazilian research focuses on families headed by lesbian parents that had access to parenthood through reproductive technologies. The most used methodological strategies were cross-sectional designs, snowball sampling, individual semi-structured interviews, and content analysis. The quality assessment indicated that most studies did not describe researchers’ positionality.
Policy Implications
Theoretical and empirical research in Brazilian is required to better address family-based stigma and discrimination. However, the present study’s findings can also guide future research and interventions in health care and promotion designed to minimize risks or exposure to adversities and strengthen resilience processes in such family configurations.