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Psychological wellbeing among same-sex attracted and heterosexual parents: Role of connectedness to family and friendship networks
journal contribution
posted on 2015-01-01, 00:00 authored by J Power, M J Schofield, D Farchione, A Perlesz, R McNair, Rhonda BrownRhonda Brown, M Pitts, A Bickerdike© 2015 Australian Association of Family Therapy. Increasing numbers of lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) adults are entering into parenthood. Previous studies indicate many of these parents receive little or no support from their families of origin due to family members' negative attitudes toward homosexuality. This study looks at the extent to which LGB parents report a lower sense of connectedness to family of origin and friendship networks than heterosexual parents and whether this has an impact on psychological wellbeing in either of these groups. Data were derived from two studies of parents: Work, Love, Play, a study of Australian and New Zealand LGB parents (n=324); and the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children, a population-based study of young children and parents (n=6460). Structural equation modelling was used to explore the relationships between: parent sexuality and family/friendship connectedness, family/friendship connectedness and psychological wellbeing, parent sexuality and psychological wellbeing. LGB parents reported feeling less connected to their families of origin but more connected to their friendship groups than heterosexual parents. Counter to previous studies, we found no difference in the psychological wellbeing of LGB parents compared to heterosexual parents when examining the direct effect of sexuality on psychological wellbeing. Clinical implications for counsellors and family therapists are discussed.
History
Journal
Australian and New Zealand journal of family therapyVolume
36Issue
3Pagination
380 - 394Publisher
WileyLocation
Lane Cove, N.S.W.Publisher DOI
ISSN
0814-723XeISSN
1467-8438Language
engPublication classification
C Journal article; C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
2015, WileyUsage metrics
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