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、男同性恋和双性恋（LGB）青年的心理健康至关重要，他们经常因其被污名化的身份而面临不良的心理后果（D'Augelli & Hershberger，1993; Goldfried & Goldfried，2001）。然而，很少有人知道其他家庭因素可能与父母的接受和心理功能之间的LGB青年。同样，对于父母自身的福祉如何因有一个LGB子女而受到影响，也知之甚少。本研究利用家庭压力理论（希尔，1949年，McCubbin和帕特森，1985年），一个广泛使用的系统为基础的框架，制定和测试横向和纵向模型预测LGB青年和他们的父母的心理功能。参与者将包括150名自我认定的LGB青年（基线年龄为16至21岁）和至少一名父母。青少年和父母将完成问卷调查，评估家庭资源、对性的信念、压力源的堆积、父母对青少年性取向的接受程度，以及一系列父母和儿童的心理健康结果。父母和孩子之间有组织的解决问题的讨论将被录像和编码，以评估亲子关系的运作和沟通方面。目前的研究是一个纵向的，在其中家庭将被招募参加四个时间点，包括六，十二，和十八个月后，首次参与。结构方程模型将被用来测试基于理论的横截面模型，其中家庭压力因素，包括家庭资源，对性的信念，堆积的家庭压力源，与青年和父母的心理功能，介导的父母接受孩子的性取向。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和父母接受之间的联系。将采用潜在生长曲线建模来检验基于家庭压力理论的纵向模型，预测基线功能的结果和研究指标随时间的变化，包括父母接受度随时间的变化。还将进行分析，以检查基于儿童性别和家庭种族的不同时间的生长轨迹差异。这项研究是第一个将家庭系统方法应用于性少数青年心理健康的研究。它也是第一个包括性少数青年及其家庭成员作为参与者，是第一个观察性少数青年的家庭关系模式，特别是在跨种族的样本。经验为基础的模式是必不可少的，在制定有效的心理健康服务的性少数青年和他们的家庭。该项目的研究结果将深入了解促进女同性恋、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。公共卫生相关性：目前的研究建议作为一个纵向检查的家庭系统的因素有关的父母接受青年披露的性取向，以及如何这些因素，包括亲子关系的质量和父母的接受，可能与父母和孩子的功能随着时间的推移。这项研究的重点是一组青年在高风险，由于性少数群体的地位，并探讨有关的途径，在社会和情感功能的年轻妇女和男子在不同的族裔群体。这项研究与公共卫生有关，因为它侧重于青少年的风险群体，并试图了解家庭因素如何随着时间的推移与这些青少年的适应和高风险行为有关。

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.