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. 2025 Mar;64(1):e13032.
doi: 10.1111/famp.13032. Epub 2024 Jun 23.

"Saying 'I'm not okay' is extremely risky": Postpartum mental health, delayed help-seeking, and fears of the child welfare system among queer parents

Abbie E Goldberg  1 , Reihonna L Frost  2
Affiliations

"Saying 'I'm not okay' is extremely risky": Postpartum mental health, delayed help-seeking, and fears of the child welfare system among queer parents

Abbie E Goldberg et al. Fam Process. 2025 Mar.

Abstract

Parent mental health challenges in the postpartum and early parenthood have profound implications for parent, child, and family well-being. Little research has focused on postpartum mental health challenges and barriers to help-seeking among queer birthing people, including members of this community who may be particularly vulnerable to mental health difficulties, such as queer cis women partnered with men, trans/nonbinary parents, and queer parents who are young, low-income, and/or of color. This mixed-methods study of queer parents (n = 99), all of whom were assigned female at birth (AFAB) and gave birth to a child within the past several years, explores parents' postpartum mental health difficulties and perceived barriers to seeking help. Using a structural stigma framework, this study found that participants reported high rates of postpartum mental health difficulties (89%) and reported various barriers to seeking support including fears of discrimination and being deemed "unfit" by providers, which might lead to child welfare system involvement. Young parents and low-income parents were particularly fearful of child welfare system contact and potential child removal. Factors that encouraged help-seeking (e.g., desire to be a good parent; partner pressure to seek help) and implications for family practitioners are discussed.

Keywords: LGBTQ+ parents; bisexual; child welfare; mental health; nonbinary; postpartum; transgender.

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Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Relationships among stigmatized statuses, mental health stigma, fears of help‐seeking, and fears of child welfare involvement.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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