FACTORS IMPACTING PARENTAL ACCEPTANCE OF AN LGBT CHILD

Chrisler’s (2017) Theoretical Framework of Parental Reactions When a Child Comes Out as Lesbian, Gay, or Bisexual suggests that parental reactions to having a non-heteronormative child are impacted by a process of cognitively appraising information about their child’s identity and experiencing and coping with emotional responses, both of which are influenced by contextual factors such as a parent’s value system. However, some religious values can challenge parents in the process of accepting a lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) child. The purpose of this study was to test a model that examines the influence of cognitive-affective factors (cognitive flexibility, emotional regulation), religious-value based factors (religious fundamentalism, parental sanctification), and gender and sexual identity on self-reported parental acceptance. Participants were 663 parents of LGBT children who submitted responses to an online survey. A Tobit regression with a single-indicator latent variable approach revealed that religious fundamentalism, parental sanctification, the control component of cognitive flexibility, parent gender, and parent sexual identity significantly predicted parental acceptance. Lower religious fundamentalism, higher parental sanctification, and higher cognitive flexibility scores were associated with parental acceptance of an LGBT child. Participants identifying as a woman or LGB parent also significantly predicted acceptance. Implications of findings are discussed

Ebbs and flows of desire: A qualitative exploration of contextual factors affecting sexual desire in bisexual, lesbian, and straight women

Previous research has found that sexual desire ebbs and flows over time within and across relationships, leading to instances of desire discrepancy. The purpose of the present study was to understand factors that may contribute to desire and desire discrepancy and examine differences and similarities across women from diverse sexual identity groups. The present qualitative study involved semi-structured interviews with 31 women (10 bisexual, 8 lesbian, and 13 straight). We identified six main themes (changes across lifespan, hormonal influences, mental and physical health, objective of desire, partner dynamics, external factors) with 21 subthemes. The findings showed more similarities between the women than differences.</p