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The Refinement and Validation of a Model of Family Functioning After Child's Disclosure as Lesbian, Gay, or Bisexual
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The current study refined and validated an emergent theory of family functioning, finding partial support for the model. Results suggest it is important for "difficult" conversations to occur in families, specifically about family member experiences and reactions to the child's disclosure regarding sexual orientation. Additionally, results suggest more successful outcomes occur when parents seek support from spouses and the focus of family behavior centers around the needs of their child. Implications for clinical practice and future research are also suggested.
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... Research on coming out process showed that LGBTQ persons experience fear when coming out (Savin-Williams, 2003), worry because of potential family rejection, guilt, as well as a desire to protect their family from the crisis, which could erupt as a perceived result of their coming out (Baiocco et al., 2015;Ben-Ari, 1989;Heatherington & Lavner, 2008;La Sala, 2000;). Parents' reactions could vary from denial, to anger to acceptance (Ben-Ari, 1995;Goodrich & Gilbride, 2010)Research on the mental health of LGBTQ people shows that their mental health is strongly affected by social and family support (D'Augelli, 2002;Ryan et al., 2010;Ryan, Legate & Weinstein, 2015;Freitas, D'Augelli, Coimbra & Dontaine, 2016). Risk of suicide in the population of LGBTQ people in Serbia is higher for those individuals whose families express a higher level 7 of conflict and rejection, as well as a lower level of closeness after coming out (Srdanović, 2012). ...
... The initial studies that examined both the reactions of parents and reactions of children showed that most children think that their parents were not aware of their sexual orientation prior to coming out, and that their relationship with parents improved over a period of six months after coming out (Ben-Ari, 1989;Goodrich & Gilbride, 2010). Parents saw their relationship with children as the biggest challenge, and they were mostly worried about the child's future. ...
... These factors affect family cohesiveness, regulative structure, and themes (Baiocco et al., 2015;Willoughby et al., 2008). The model describes five phases that family system goes through (DeVine, 1984;Goodrich & Gilbride, 2010;8 Savin - Williams & Dube, 1998;Willoughby, et al., 2008). After a child's coming out, parents experience shock as the most frequent reaction. ...
Coming out process is a necessary step for a LGBTQ person in order to develop integrative sexual and transgender identity (Cass, 1984; Manning, 2014). and mental health of LGBTQ people is under strong influence by the family and social support and their reactions to coming out (D’Augelli, 2002; Ryan et al., 2010; Ryan, Legate, & Winstein, 2015). The goal of the present research is to explore what is the experience of mothers of LGBTQ children in Serbia after the children’s coming out? Using the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (Smith, 2015), this study explored the experience of eight mothers of LGBTQ youth in Serbia after their children came out. From the analysis 4 main themes emerged: We started a conversation, and then he told me everything: what, how, where” – The context of finding out, “…and that is something very terrifying, that someone could hurt my child because he is what he is” – Mothers’ reactions, “I needed to see that he is completely well” – Process of adaptation, “Are we strong enough to bear all that?” – Parent and family identity. The results have shown that after finding out, mothers have a broad variety of reactions from surprise and shock to anger and sadness (Ben-Ari, 1989), after which the process of accepting child’s identity begins. That process was composed of different questions and challenges mothers faced and needed to overcome, either with professional or support from co-parent, with social support and information gathered from children or internet. The adaptation process resulted in integration of child’s identity in family’s identity, showing a developmental path mothers go through in order to accept child’s identity, but also showing possibilities for practical interventions in working with LGBTQ children and their families.
... Parents report using religious resources including prayer, supportive clergy, and affirming faith communities during the process of acceptance (e.g., Sides, 2017). Additionally, a validation study of a model of perceived family functioning after a child's disclosure of an LGBT identity found that religious commitment was associated with higher general family functioning in a sample of 440 parents (Goodrich & Gilbride, 2010). ...
... To date, only two published studies have assessed cognitive flexibility in samples of parents of LGBT children, and neither of these assessed parental acceptance. In a sample of 440 parents of LGB children, Goodrich and Gilbride (2010) tested a model that examined associations between nine explanatory variables and found cognitive flexibility to be one of the largest contributors to the overall explained variance in family functioning. Cognitive flexibility also was reported to mediate the relationships between three variables in the model (parents' initial emotional experiences postdisclosure, parents' choice to honor the needs of their child or themselves regarding disclosure decisions, and religiosity) and family functioning. ...
... Parents have described experiencing intense emotions when their child disclosed a nonheteronormative identity (e.g., Grafsky, 2014). Goodrich and Gilbride's (2010) assessment of a model of family functioning found that the intensity and type of emotions (i.e., anger vs. surprise) parents reported at the time of disclosure predicted family functioning, such that higher intensity of emotions related to less flexible thinking and poorer family functioning. Thus, emotional regulation may help parents of LGBT children to cope more effectively with intense emotions so that they can engage in positive and supportive parenting behaviors. ...
Parental reactions to a child's lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) identity are impacted by a process of cognitive-affective experiences and behavioral responses that are influenced by contextual factors that may include parents' religious value system. The purpose of this study was to test a theoretically based model of parental acceptance that included cognitive-affective factors (cognitive flexibility, emotional regulation), religious-value based factors (religious fundamentalism, parental sanctification), and demographic characteristics (parent gender, parent sexual identity, child gender, and years out). Participants were 663 parents of LGBT children who submitted responses to an online survey. A Tobit regression analysis with a singleindicator latent variable approach revealed that higher levels of the control component of cognitive flexibility, lower religious fundamentalism, higher parental sanctification, parent gender (female), and parent sexual identity (nonheterosexual) were significantly associated with higher levels of parental acceptance. Findings suggest that attending to these factors in future research and clinical practice may be important to the health and well-being of families that include LGBT children.
... Disclosing one's sexual or affectional orientation and coming out as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) can be a difficult process (LGB; Denes & Afifi, 2014). Research shows that coming out is a sign of self-acceptance and a negotiation between the standards set forth by society (i.e., heterosexual norms) and one's self (Corrigan & Matthews, 2003;Denes & Afifi, 2014;Goodrich & Gilbride, 2010). Self-disclosure is the process through which an individual declares their sexual orientation as LGB and can range in context from events in the past, present, and future endeavors (Denes & Afifi, 2014;Mohler, 2000). ...
... Yet the way in which LGB individuals decide to disclose their orientation to their parents follows a different process (Goodrich, 2009;Trahan & Goodrich, 2015). Scholars have noted that coming out to one's parents is one of the most difficult developmental milestones in sexual orientation identity development (Goodrich, 2009;Goodrich & Gilbride, 2010;Savin-Williams, 2001;Willoughby, Malik, & Lindahl, 2006). As many parents initially have a difficult time acknowledging and/or accepting their son or daughter's orientation, the individual must negotiate the way in which they will disclose their sexual identity, if they choose to do so at all (Goldfried & Goldfried, 2001;Rossi, 2010). ...
... As many parents initially have a difficult time acknowledging and/or accepting their son or daughter's orientation, the individual must negotiate the way in which they will disclose their sexual identity, if they choose to do so at all (Goldfried & Goldfried, 2001;Rossi, 2010). LGB individuals typically experience anxiety and apprehension because they fear adverse reactions and consequences as a result of their disclosure, and research has found that individuals who identify as LGB typically disclose to someone other than their parents first (D'Augelli & Hershberger, 1993;Goodrich, 2009;Goodrich & Gilbride, 2010;Savin-Williams, 2001). In fact, in one study, D' Augelli and Hershberger (1993) found that 73% of participants who identified as LGB first disclosed to a friend rather than to a parent. ...
This article describes a qualitative project, utilizing a narratology approach, to explore the experiences of five participants identified as belonging to two distinct families whose son and daughter identified as gay and bisexual (GB). Respondents in this study included the GB-identified son and daughter and their parents, to explore the impact of the disclosure process within families in the Southwestern United States. Both families expressed different types of experiences following the disclosure, which provide case studies toward family interventions. Implications for counseling practice and future research will be explored.
... Aplinkinių reakcija į homoseksualios seksualinės orientacijos atskleidimą priklauso nuo įvairių veiksnių, tokių kaip visuomenėje vyraujantis heteronormatyvumas (Štulhofer & Rimac, 2007;Takacs, 2007) bei homoseksualumo reprezentacijos žiniasklaidoje (Bonds-Raacke, Cady, Schlegel, Harris, & Firebaugh, 2007;Bylaitė, 2009;Calzo & Ward, 2009). Tyrimai rodo, kad moterys (Goodrich & Gilbride, 2010;Ryan, Legate, & Weinstein, 2015;Mange & Lepastourel, 2013, Dunjić-Kostić et al., 2012Cardenas & Barrientos, 2008) bei jaunesnio amžiaus ir aukštesnio išsilavinimo asmenys daug palankiau žvelgia į atsiskleidimą ir dažniau palaiko tokį asmens apsisprendimą. Visgi literatūroje randama prieštaringų rezultatų, kaip reakcija gali priklausyti nuo atsiskleidžiančiojo lyties (Herek, 2004;Cardenas & Barrientos, 2008;Mange & Lepastourel, 2013;Dunjić-Kostić et al., 2012). ...
... Kaip minėta, emocinės reakcijos yra susijusios su asmens nuostatomis (Ajzen & Fishbein, 2005;Goodrich & Gilbride, 2010;Ryan et al., 2015;Cardenas & Barrientos, 2008). Analizuotuose komentaruose vyravo neigiamos nuostatos dėl seksualinės orientacijos atskleidimo, todėl nestebina, kad komentaruose neigiamos emocinės reakcijos buvo fiksuojamos dažniau nei teigiamos. ...
... Tokia prielaida daroma atsižvelgiant į tai, kad kitų mokslininkų tyrimai atskleidė, jog vyrai pasižymi neigiamesnėmis reakcijomis į homoseksualių asmenų atsiskleidimą nei moterys Cardenas & Barrientos, 2008;Goodrich & Gilbride, 2010;Dunjić-Kostić et al., 2012;Mange & Lepastourel, 2013;Ryan et al., 2015). O anot Vinogradnaitės (2009), komentarus dažniau rašo jauno amžiaus vyrai nei moterys. ...
[straipsnis ir santrauka lietuvių kalba; santrauka anglų kalba]
Viešai demonstruojamas neigiamas visuomenės požiūris į homoseksualius asmenis ir jų seksualinės orientacijos atskleidimą neigiamai veikia tokių asmenų socialinį ir asmeninį gyvenimą. Lietuvoje neaptikta straipsnyje aprašomo homoseksualios seksualinės orientacijos atskleidimo atvejo komentarų turinio analizė.
Šiame straipsnyje pristatomo tyrimo tikslas – išanalizuoti ir aprašyti komentarų, kuriais atsiliepiama į homoseksualumo atskleidimo žinią pristatančius straipsnius, turinį. Siekiama atskleisti komentaruose vyraujančias nuostatas, emocines reakcijas į homoseksualių žmonių atsiskleidimą, vyraujantį diskriminuojantį bei atsiskleidimą priimantį elgesį.
Atliktà 380 komentarų, surinktų lrytas.lt ir delfi.lt internetiniuose dienraščiuose, turinio analizė. Įvertinus jų turinį, tyrimui naudojami 156 interpretuotini komentarai. Nustatyta, kad komentatoriai dažniausiai demonstruoja neigiamas nuostatas dėl homoseksualių asmenų seksualinės orientacijos atskleidimo. Jie linkę manyti, kad homoseksualumas yra nenatūralus, kad tai – iškrypimas, kad homoseksualūs asmenys neturėtų atskleisti savo seksualinės orientacijos. Komentaruose taip pat vyrauja tokios neigiamos emocijos kaip pasišlykštėjimas ar pyktis ir dažniausiai pasireiškia homofobinės patyčios (įžeidžiančios replikos, homofobiniai pajuokavimai bei prasivardžiavimai). Taip pat išsiaiškinta, kad dažniau išreiškiama neigiama nuostata homoseksualių moterų vaikų auginimo tema ir pykčio emocija. Teigiama emocija, jog homoseksualai yra tokie pat normalūs kaip ir heteroseksualieji, yra dažnesnė reaguojant į homoseksualių vyrų nei homoseksualių moterų atsiskleidimą.
Šio tyrimo rezultatai rodo, kad vyrauja neigiamos nuostatos dėl homoseksualių asmenų ir jų viešo atsiskleidimo.
... The parental sample also only included two fathers. Fathers of LGBTQ children are not well-represented in extant research (e.g., Goodrich & Gilbride, 2010). We recommend greater inclusion of father participants in future parent-LGBTQ child empirical studies. ...
... Although many LGBTQ child participants identified with diverse religious or spiritual orientations, the parent participants did not, and both parent and child sample compositions were racially homogeneous, with all but two participants identifying as Caucasian. Researchers are calling for LGBTQ identity studies with samples from multicultural communities (e.g., Goodrich & Gilbride, 2010). Future research can address this limitation by exploring parent and LGBTQ relationships in a variety of diverse social identity groups (e.g., race and religion). ...
In this article, we explore communication between parents and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer (LGBTQ) children. We conducted a contrapuntal analysis of interpersonal discourses identified in individual transcripts of parent and LGBTQ child interviews. The interviews focused on the relational process occurring before, during, and after the child’s disclosure of an LGBTQ identity. We discovered three pairs of competing discourses: the child’s concern of acceptance versus authenticity, the parent’s concern of expectations versus support, and the parent-child shared relational concern of contentment versus improvement. This article concludes with practice implications for counseling professionals to consider.
... [ Research shows that family acceptance of LGBT adolescents is associated with positive mental and physical health (Goodrich & Gilbride, 2010;Katz-Wise et al., 2016;Ryan et al, 2010), and may provide protection against the harmful effects of homophobic harassment (Hershberger & D'Augelli, 1995). Likewise, the acceptance and support of friends may serve as a source of resilience for ...
Written through a constant exchange between LGBTQIA+ young people, researchers, professionals and foster families, this book offers a valuable tool to improve the practice with LGBTQIA+ youth at a personal, organizational, and policy levels. This book shows the powerful influence of relationships and networks for the LGBTQIA+ young person growing up in child protection and welfare systems.
LGBTQIA+ youth need meaningful connections with individuals within their communities in order to be able to heal, learn, and be authentically themselves. Child welfare professionals have a crucial role in creating these connections and cultivating supportive environments, free of additional trauma, where LGBTQIA+ young people can feel valued and loved.
... Operationalization of coming out as an intrapersonal process dominated the field for roughly two decades, but after Troiden's (1989) work on homosexual identity development, research focus has shifted toward almost exclusively on verbal disclosure as coming out, the "actual declarative statement" made by LGBTQ+ people (Orne, 2011). In this line of research, coming out is conceptualized as discrete verbal disclosure incidents that serve as a turning point for the LGBTQ+ people, evidenced by how the terms coming out and disclosure are used interchangeably and are thought to be mutually defining for the past few decades since the topic the homosexuality started gaining visibility in its contemporary sense (e.g., Baiocco et al., 2015;Balsam & Mohr, 2007;Charbonnier, Dumas, Chesterman, & Graziani, 2018;Coleman, 1982;D'Augelli, Hershberger, & Pilkington, 1998;Grafsky, 2014;Gattamorta, Salerno, & Quidley-Rodrigue, 2019;Griffith & Hebl, 2002;Goodrich, 2009;Goodrich & Gilbride, 2010;Jordan & Deluty, 1998;LaSala, 2010;Legate, Ryan, & Weinstein, 2012;Merighi & Grimes, 2000;Morrow, 2006a;Rhoads, 1995;Savin-William & Dubé, 1998;Scherrer, Kazyak, Schmitz, 2015;Valentine, Skelton, & Butler, 2003;Vaughan & Waehler, 2010;Waldner & Magruder, 1999). The typical story goes with an LGBTQ+ person contemplating and planning to disclose their sexual identity to their family, finally sitting the family member(s) down, verbally disclosing their ...
This dissertation investigated adult child-parent relationship where the child is a gender/sexual minority, or tongzhi (同志). Building on Jhang’s (2018) model of scaffolding in family, this dissertation theorized the process of chugui (出櫃, exit-closet) for Taiwanese tongzhi and their family. Chugui is a direct translation of coming out of the closet, but it entails a rather different process than disclosure. Thus, this dissertation challenged the conventional coming out as disclosure conceptualization by delineating the coming to terms process. As a Westernized- Confucius society, Taiwan has recently experienced drastic legal changes regarding gender/ sexual minority, including legalizing same-sex marriage in 2019, making it a suitable context to examine chugui/coming out in the family.
Using grounded theory (Charmaz, 2006), interview and field observation data are analyzed to find categories to substantiate the coming to terms model. 40 tongzhi young adult (age 20-38) and 17 parents (age 45-69) were included.
The findings built the model of coming to terms/chugui in the family as scaffolding. It shows the onset of chugui/coming out is the awareness of difference rather than disclosure. The process of coming to terms is characterized by the psychological constant comparison of relating, a way for people to make sense of relationships by comparing various micro and macro discourses. The process is also influenced by the intersectional identity of the offspring (biological sex, gender performance, and direction of sexual attraction) and the parent (father/ mother, and social class). People then make individual behavioral scaffolding efforts to move forward. Finally, the parents may compartmentalize their acceptance behaviorally, emotionally, attitudinally, and cognitively, while the offspring might accept or reject the discounted acceptance, making the process indefinite.
Theoretical implications include establishing the processual and relational nature of coming to terms, legitimizing parental agency, and underscoring the utility of functional ambivalence, the notion of relational selfhood, and intersectional identity. Practical implications include making the idea of polysemy and the constant comparison process explicit and helping people building schemas while avoiding cruel optimism. The transferability of the model is discussed, and this dissertation invites researchers to look beyond “disclosure” in studying LGBTQ+ family relationship.
... In this review of experiences of parents of TGNC children, there were several findings similar to experiences of parents of LGB individuals. For example, similar to studies with parents of LGB individuals (e.g., Goodrich, 2009;Goodrich & Gilbride, 2010;Phillips & Ancis, 2008), some parents of TGNC individuals experienced intense emotional reactions upon learning about their child's identity (e.g., grief, loss, shock). Also, similar to the experiences of having an ...
Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals face stigmatization from family members and peers, placing this group at high risk of adverse outcomes including suicidality, substance abuse, and compromised mental health. This article uses a literature review approach to explore the common experiences of parents of TGD individuals as they navigate their relationship with their TGD children. Across 32 identified studies, the experiences of parental reactions include: (a) initial experiences (including noticing gender atypical behavior, diverse emotional reactions, cognitive dissonance and behavioral avoidance, and lack of knowledge); (b) transformation processes (including seeking informative resources and developing cognitive flexibility, seeking support and making TGD connections,
facing barriers and isolation, developing awareness of discrimination and building empathy, and acknowledging the toll on mental health); (c) positive outcomes (including relational benefits, affirmation of values and activism, and new personal narratives); and (d) influences on the process (including time, gender, and attribution of the cause of TGD identity). Recommendations for health service providers include acknowledging diverse emotional reactions and cognitive dissonance, cultivating hope, honoring systemic barriers, and helping parents of TGD individuals create new positive narratives.
Introduction: The study explored how lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) young adults in rural Australian communities experience online mental health services. Online technologies hold potential to overcome health access barriers, but little is known in practice for this community.
Methods: Interviews were conducted with nine LGBT young adults living in rural areas and six service providers who were responsible for the provision of internet-based mental health services. The results were analysed using thematic analysis.
Results: The analysis of the interviews with LGBT young adults and service providers revealed important insights and discrepancies. Findings revealed difficulties locating the right care and variation in views about how online services should be delivered. A potentially critical role for parents/guardians to play was found in facilitating access to services.
Conclusion: The needs of LGBT youth in rural areas are complex and are unlikely to be met by an en masse approach to internet-based mental health care. We recommend that internet based mental health care providers work closely with LGBT and youth communities in rural areas to develop client-centred services that are customised to meet the unique needs of this community.
Gay and lesbian individuals often wait until moving away to college before they come out to their parents. Individuals who are rejected by their parents often report mental health concerns, whereas individuals who perceive sexuality-related support from their parents report higher self-esteem and improved well-being. However, researchers have conducted limited work in exploring the nature of sexuality-related support within the family. The purpose of this study was to explore how gay and lesbian college students created meaning out of their coming-out process to their parents. The study posed the following research question: What are the lived experiences of gay and lesbian college students who have experienced support from their parents during the coming-out process? Seven current gay and lesbian students who came during college were interviewed about their relationship with their parents before, during, and after their coming-out disclosure. Using a phenomenological analysis, 9 major themes were identified: awareness of feeling different, positive relationship prior to coming out, college impacting the coming-out process, feeling unsure of how parents would respond to disclosure, parents assuring continued love and acceptance, parents affirming identity, increased relational depth with parents, increased sense of authenticity, and an appreciation for family’s response and support. The findings provide insight into how counselors might work with gay and lesbian college students and their parents. Opportunities for future research and limitations are also discussed.
To facilitate a multidimensional approach to empathy the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) includes 4 subscales: Perspective-Taking (PT) Fantasy (FS) Empathic Concern (EC) and Personal Distress (PD). The aim of the present study was to establish the convergent and discriminant validity of these 4 subscales. Hypothesized relationships among the IRI subscales between the subscales and measures of other psychological constructs (social functioning self-esteem emotionality and sensitivity to others) and between the subscales and extant empathy measures were examined. Study subjects included 677 male and 667 female students enrolled in undergraduate psychology classes at the University of Texas. The IRI scales not only exhibited the predicted relationships among themselves but also were related in the expected manner to other measures. Higher PT scores were consistently associated with better social functioning and higher self-esteem; in contrast Fantasy scores were unrelated to these 2 characteristics. High EC scores were positively associated with shyness and anxiety but negatively linked to egotism. The most substantial relationships in the study involved the PD scale. PD scores were strongly linked with low self-esteem and poor interpersonal functioning as well as a constellation of vulnerability uncertainty and fearfulness. These findings support a multidimensional approach to empathy by providing evidence that the 4 qualities tapped by the IRI are indeed separate constructs each related in specific ways to other psychological measures.
What is the current state of psychological knowledge about lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals? This book presents definitive treatments of both current and classical psychological research and theory on lesbian, gay, and bisexual identities across the lifespan. Not only is the current status of the topic surveyed, and important research summarised from the last two decades, but promising directions for future research are also identified. This book provides a comprehensive review of psychological research on sexual orientation. It is unique in focusing on lesbian, gay and bisexual people in relationships, families, and in communities.
Disclosure or nondisclosure of self-as-lesbian to family is a difficult task. Eleven lesbians aged 25?47 years old described their experiences of disclosure or nondisclosure to family. The primary source of data collection was focus groups. Family disclosure was preceded by recognition of self-as-lesbian. Five story patterns of lesbians and their families related to disclosure or nondisclosure were derived from text analysis. The participants also described missing sociocultural landmarks and symbols for lesbian lives. Implications are included for lesbians who are contemplating disclosure and their health care providers.
In previous chapters special cases of the general linear model have been discussed and illustrated. This chapter builds on these prior chapters through the introduction of a set of advanced statistical modeling techniques also based on the general linear model called structural equation modeling (SEM). An important advantage of SEM over the basic general linear model is that dependent variables can also play the role of predictor variables within the same model. A second advantage of SEM relative to analyses based on the general linear model is the ability to estimate nonlinear models for categorical and censored data. In this chapter we will begin at a very basic level by defining SEM and illustrating some of the reasons why it may be a potentially useful tool for researchers. In this introduction we will place SEM on a continuum of the basic and advanced statistical approaches presented in this book. We ...
Lesbian, gay, and bisexual youths 15 to 21 years old were studied to determine the impact of verbal abuse, threat of attacks, and assault on their mental health, including suicide. Family support and self-acceptance were hypothesized to act as mediators of the victimization and mental health-suicide relation. Structural equation modeling revealed that in addition to a direct effect of victimization on mental health, family support and self-acceptance in concert mediated the victimization and mental health relation. Victimization was not directly related to suicide. Victimization interacted with family support to influence mental health, but only for low levels of victimization.