Stigma and discrimination against mental illness represent chronic social stressors that can inflame psychiatric symptoms and limit functional adjustment. The implication is that the prevalence and severity of mental illness is determined, at least to a certain extent, by aversive socio-cultural factors. In a hostile social environment, these factors may seriously limit the effectiveness of professional interventions; whereas, removing social barriers to functioning often results in a favorable clinical outcome. For example, studies show that inclusive settings with supportive employment decrease psychiatric symptoms and the use of mental health services. By extrapolation, these results point to the possibility that a society-wide reduction in the prevalence and severity of mental illness may come from benevolent changes in the social climate, not just from innovative treatments. Public health policies rarely take this possibility into consideration in resource allocation decisions.
The current study is the first to examine parental gatekeeping in both same-sex (57 female, 51 male) and heterosexual (n = 82) couples, all of whom became parents via adoption. Aspects of the individual, the couple, and the work context, measured preadoption, were examined as predictors of gatekeeping. Gatekeeping refers to attitudes and behaviors aimed at regulating and limiting the involvement of the other parent in housework and child care and was measured 2 years postadoption. Findings revealed that women in heterosexual relationships reported higher gatekeeping compared with all other groups, and men in same-sex relationships reported higher gatekeeping compared with women in same-sex relationships and men in heterosexual relationships. Across the full sample, lower job autonomy predicted higher gatekeeping in both housework and child care, whereas greater relationship ambivalence, greater perceived parenting skill, and lower perceived partner parenting skill predicted higher gatekeeping in child care. Findings provide insight into how gatekeeping behaviors and beliefs are enacted in diverse types of couples and suggest that work factors should be taken into account when conducting research on, and seeking to improve, coparenting relationships. (PsycINFO Database Record
This study examined the narratives of 82 adoptive parents (41 couples: 15 lesbian, 15 gay male, 11 heterosexual) of young children ( M age = 5.81 years) with a focus on understanding parents’ socialization practices and strategies surrounding race (among parents of children of color), and family structure (among lesbian or gay [LG] parents). Most parents described an engaged approach to socialization surrounding their children’s racial minority and LG-parent family statuses, employing strategies such as (a) holding parent–child conversations aimed at instilling pride, (b) seeking communities that reflect their child’s identities (more often LG than heterosexual), and (c) educating about racism and heterosexism. Some parents described a cautious approach in which they acknowledged their child’s racial background and LG-parent family status but were cautious about not being overly focused on their differences. A minority of parents (more often heterosexual than LG) described an avoidant approach, whereby they did not discuss their child’s differences.
Little research has examined the experiences of lesbian/gay (LG) parent families or adoptive parent families in early childhood education settings. This study uses interview data to examine the perceptions and experiences of 45 lesbian, gay, and heterosexual couples (90 individuals) with 10 adopted children with respect to their (1) openness with schools and teachers regarding their child's adoptive status, racial background, and LG–parent family status and (2) perceptions of school inclusivity and responsiveness with respect to adoption, race, and family structure. The majority of parents explicitly disclosed their adoptive and LG–parent family status with teachers, but few discussed children's racial background with teachers. Many parents viewed their children's schools and teachers as explicitly inclusive of all types of families, providing specific examples of teacher practices that they appreciated. Some parents viewed schools as tolerant but not explicitly inclusive; reactions to this approach varied, with some parents appreciating not being "singled out," and others feeling overlooked. Finally, some parents viewed schools as marginalizing toward their family's adoptive, LG–parent family, and multiracial status. Lesbian mothers tended to report less positive impressions of schools than gay fathers. Findings have implications for schools and teachers seeking to create an inclusive environment for diverse families.
Gay families are constructed support networks that gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals of color form, often in response to societal marginalization and rejection from biological families. Research on these family structures has been scarce, with little focus on the experience of African American gay family networks in the South. The current grounded theory qualitative study focused on the experiences of 10 African American male and transgender individuals between the ages of 18 and 29 from gay families in the Mid-South, and explored the ways these families addressed safe-sex issues and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) risk prevention. Results revealed that families can play a role in either increasing HIV risk (e.g., ignoring HIV issues, encouraging such unsafe behaviors as exchanging sex for money or drugs, stigmatizing HIV-positive people) or decreasing it (e.g., intensive, family-level prevention efforts at safe-sex practices and family support for HIV treatment adherence). The potential of these family networks for HIV prevention and adherence efforts is considered.
