Correlates of Mental Health Service
Use Among Lesbian, Gay,
and Bisexual Mothers
and Prospective Mothers
Leah S. Steele, PhD, MD
Lori E. Ross, PhD
Rachel Epstein, MA
Carol Strike, PhD
Corrie Goldfinger, BA
ABSTRACT. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual women undertake parenting in
a social context that may be associated with unique risk factors for peri-
natal depression. This cross-sectional study aimed to describe the mental
Leah S. Steele is affiliated with the Department of Family and Community Medicine,
St. Michael’s Hospital and University of Toronto and also with the Health Systems Re-
search and Consulting Unit, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada.
Lori E. Ross and Corrie Goldfinger are affiliated with Women’s Mental Health &
Addiction Research Section, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada.
Rachel Epstein is affiliated with LGBT Parenting Network, Sherbourne Health
Centre, Toronto, Canada.
Carol Strike is affiliated with the Health Systems Research & Consulting Unit, Cen-
tre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada.
Address correspondence to: Leah S. Steele, Health Systems Research and Consulting
Unit, CAMH-ARF site, 33 Russell Street, 3rd Floor Tower, Toronto, Ontario, M5S
2S1 (E-mail: leah_steele@camh.net).
This study was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Drs. Steele
and Ross are supported by Career Scientist Awards from the Ontario Ministry of Health
and Long-Term Care. Dr. Steele is also supported as a research scholar by the Depart-
ment of Family & Community Medicine at St. Michael’s Hospital and the University of
Toronto. The opinions, results and conclusions are those of the authors and no endorse-
ment by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care is intended or should be inferred.
Women & Health, Vol. 47(3) 2008
Available online at http://wh.haworthpress.com
© 2008 by The Haworth Press. All rights reserved.
doi: 95 10.1080/03630240802134225