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Long-Term Effects of Homophobic Stigmatization During Adolescence on Problem Behavior in Emerging Adult Offspring of Lesbian Parents

  • Empirical Research
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Abstract

The long-term impact of homophobic stigmatization on adolescents with lesbian parents has not been explored. This longitudinal study investigated the effects of homophobia experienced during adolescence on problem behavior among emerging adult offspring of lesbian parents. The 72 offspring (37 females and 35 males; all cisgender and 25 years old) were predominantly White, heterosexual, and highly educated. As 17-year-old adolescents, 40.3% (n = 29) reported that they had been treated unfairly because of having lesbian parents. Experienced homophobia during adolescence was indirectly associated with internalizing problems during emerging adulthood through psychological problems during adolescence and meaning in life in emerging adulthood. Adolescent experiences of homophobia were also indirectly related to externalizing problems during emerging adulthood through adolescent psychological problems, but not through meaning in life in emerging adulthood. These findings indicate that long-term effects of homophobic stigmatization during adolescence persist into adulthood. School and community interventions should include all types of families in their diversity appreciation programs.

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Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Contributions

H.B. conceived of the study, coordinated its design, conducted the statistical analyses, interpreted the data, and drafted and revised the manuscript; N.C. participated in the study design, statistical analyses, the interpretation of the data, manuscript drafting, and manuscript revision; E.D.R. and A.K. participated in the study design, interpretation of data, and revision of the manuscript; N.G. collected the data, participated in the study design, interpretation of data, and revision of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Data Sharing and Declaration

The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Henny Bos.

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Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in this study were carried out in accordance with the ethical standards of the Sutter Health Institutional Review Board.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from the parents for the participation of their offspring when they were minors, and assent was obtained from these minors. When the offspring were legal adults, they provided informed consent to participate.

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Bos, H., Carone, N., Rothblum, E.D. et al. Long-Term Effects of Homophobic Stigmatization During Adolescence on Problem Behavior in Emerging Adult Offspring of Lesbian Parents. J Youth Adolescence 50, 1114–1125 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-020-01364-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-020-01364-1

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