Parental Acceptance & Child Functioning in LGB Youth: A Family Stress Perspective

描述(由申请人提供)：与父母的支持关系对于女同性恋者、男同性恋者和双性恋者(LGB)青年的心理健康至关重要，他们经常因为他们的污名化身份而面临不利的心理后果(D‘Augelli&Hershberger，1993；Goldfred&Goldfred，2001)。然而，对于可能与LGB青少年的父母接纳和心理功能有关的其他基于家庭的因素，我们知之甚少。同样，人们对拥有LGB子女会如何影响父母自身的幸福感知之甚少。本研究利用广泛使用的系统框架家庭压力理论(Hill，1949；McCubbin&Patterson，1985)，建立和检验了预测LGB青少年及其父母心理功能的横断面和纵向模型。参与者将包括150名自我认同的LGB青年(基线年龄为16岁至21岁)和至少一名父母。青少年和父母将完成问卷，评估家庭资源、对于性的信念、压力源的堆积、父母对青少年性取向的接受，以及一系列亲子心理健康结果。家长和他们的孩子之间有组织的解决问题的讨论将被录像和编码，以评估亲子关系、运作和沟通的各个方面。目前的研究是一项纵向研究，将招募家庭在四个时间点参与，包括首次参与后六个月、十二个月和十八个月。结构方程模型将被用来测试基于理论的横断面模型，其中家庭压力因素，包括家庭资源、对性的信念和家庭压力源的堆积，与青少年和父母的心理功能有关，通过父母对孩子的性取向的接受来调节。在复杂的中介模型中，亲子关系质量将被测试为家庭压力因素与父母接纳之间的联系。潜在生长曲线模型将用于测试基于家庭压力理论的纵向模型，该模型预测基线功能的结果和研究措施随时间的变化，包括父母接受程度随时间的变化。还将进行分析，以检查基于儿童性别和家庭族裔的成长轨迹随时间的差异。这项研究是首次将家庭系统方法应用于性少数族裔青年的心理健康。它也是最早将性少数群体青年及其家庭成员包括在内的参与者之一，并首次观察性少数群体青年家庭的关系模式，特别是在跨族裔样本中。以经验为基础的模式对于为性少数群体青年及其家庭制定有效的心理健康服务至关重要。该项目的发现将为促进女同性恋、男同性恋和双性恋青年及其父母之间支持性家庭关系和健康发展的因素提供洞察。公共卫生相关性：本研究拟对与父母接受青少年披露性取向有关的家庭系统因素进行纵向审查，以及这些因素，包括亲子关系质量和父母接受程度，如何随着时间的推移与父母和孩子的功能有关。这项研究的重点是一群由于性少数地位而处于高危状态的青年，并研究了不同种族的年轻女性和男性与社会和情感功能相关的途径。这项研究与公共卫生有关，因为它侧重于高危青年群体，并试图了解随着时间的推移，家庭因素如何与这些青年的适应和高危行为有关。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Abstract Supportive relationships with parents are paramount for psychological well-being among lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) youth, who often face adverse psychological outcomes as a result of their stigmatized identity (D'Augelli & Hershberger, 1993; Goldfried & Goldfried, 2001). Little is known, however, about other family-based factors that may be related to parental acceptance and psychological functioning among LGB youth. Similarly, little is known about how a parent's own well-being may be affected by having an LGB child. The present study utilizes Family Stress Theory (Hill, 1949; McCubbin & Patterson, 1985), a widely used systems-based framework, to formulate and test both cross-sectional and longitudinal models predicting psychological functioning among LGB youth and their parents. Participants will include 150 self-identified LGB youth (ages 16 to 21 at baseline) and at least one parent. Youth and parents will complete questionnaires assessing family resources, beliefs about sexuality, pile-up of stressors, parental acceptance of the youth's sexual orientation, and a range of parent and child mental health outcomes. A structured problem-solving discussion between parents and their child will be videotaped and coded to assess aspects of parent-child relationship functioning and communication. The current study is a longitudinal one, in which families will be recruited to participate in four time points, including six, twelve, and eighteen months after initial participation. Structural equation modeling will be used to test theory-based cross-sectional models in which family stress factors, including family resources, beliefs about sexuality, and pile-up of family stressors, are related to youth and parent psychological functioning, mediated by parental acceptance of a child's sexual orientation. In complex mediational models, parent-child relationship quality will be tested as a link between family stress factors and parental acceptance. Latent growth curve modeling will be employed to test longitudinal models based on family stress theory predicting outcome from baseline functioning and changes over time in study measures, including changes in parental acceptance over time. Analyses will also be conducted to examine differences in growth trajectories across time based on child gender and family ethnicity. This study is among the first to apply a family systems approach to mental health among sexual minority youth. It is also among the first to include both sexual minority youth and their family members as participants and is the first to observationally examine relational patterns in families of sexual minority youth, particularly in a cross-ethnic sample. Empirically-based models are essential in formulating effective mental health services for sexual minority youth and their families. Findings from this project will provide insight into factors promoting supportive family relationships and healthy development among lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth and their parents. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The current study is proposed as a longitudinal examination of family systems factors related to parental acceptance of youth disclosures of sexual orientation, and how such factors, including parent-child relationship quality and parental acceptance, may be related to parent and child functioning over time. This study focuses on a group of youth at high risk due to sexual minority status and examines pathways related to social and emotional functioning in both young women and men across different ethnic groups. This study is relevant to public health in that it focuses on an at risk group of youth and seeks to understand how family factors may be related to both adjustment and high risk behaviors in these youth over time.