Adolescents of the U.S. National Longitudinal Lesbian Family Study: Sexual Orientation, Sexual Behavior, and Sexual Risk Exposure

Abstract

This study assessed Kinsey self-ratings and lifetime sexual experiences of 17-year-olds whose lesbian mothers enrolled before these offspring were born in the longest-running, prospective study of same-sex parented families, with a 93% retention rate to date. Data for the current report were gathered through online questionnaires completed by 78 adolescent offspring (39 girls and 39 boys). The adolescents were asked if they had ever been abused and, if so, to specify by whom and the type of abuse (verbal, emotional, physical, or sexual). They were also asked to specify their sexual identity on the Kinsey scale, between exclusively heterosexual and exclusively homosexual. Lifetime sexual behavior was assessed through questions about heterosexual and same-sex contact, age of first sexual experience, contraception use, and pregnancy. The results revealed that there were no reports of physical or sexual victimization by a parent or other caregiver. Regarding sexual orientation, 18.9% of the adolescent girls and 2.7% of the adolescent boys self-rated in the bisexual spectrum, and 0% of girls and 5.4% of boys self-rated as predominantly-to-exclusively homosexual. When compared with age-and gender-matched adolescents of the National Survey of Family Growth, the study offspring were significantly older at the time of their first heterosexual contact, and the daughters of lesbian mothers were significantly more likely to have had same-sex contact. These findings suggest that adolescents reared in lesbian families are less likely than their peers to be victimized by a parent or other caregiver, and that daughters of lesbian mothers are more likely to engage in same-sex behavior and to identify as bisexual.

Pride and Prejudice : Lesbian Families in Contemporary Sweden

“…Since one of the first initiatives to study child outcome was taken by British psychologist Susan Golombok in late 1970s (Golombok et al, 1983;Golombok, Tasker & Murray, 1997), several others have followed suit (Bos & van Balen, 2008;Bos, van Balen & van den Boom, 2004;Bos & Hakvoort, 2007;Brewaeys, Ponjaert, van Hall & Golombok, 1997;Chan, Brooks, Raboy & Patterson, 1998;Crouch, Waters, McNair, Power & Davis, 2014;Flaks, Ficher, Masterpasqua & Joseph, 1995;Gartrell et al 1996;Gartrell, Deck, Rodas, Peyser, & Banks, 2005;Gartrell, Rodas, Deck, Peyser, & Banks, 2006;Goldberg, Kashy & Smith, 2012;Shechner, Slone, Lobel, & Shechter, 2013). Lesbian families have been examined longitudinally and contemporary outcome studies report results on offspring outcome in adolescence and early adulthood Bos, Gartrell & van Gelderen, 2013;Bos, van Gelderen & Gartrell, 2014;Bos, Goldberg, van Gelderen & Gartrell, 2012;Gartrell, Bos & Goldberg, 2011;Gartrell, Bos, Peyser, Deck & Rodas, 2012;Golombok & Badger, 2010;. Overviews on this research generally state that there are more similarities than differences in child outcome between lesbian and heterosexual families (Andersen et al, 2002;Biblarz & Stacey, 2010;Bos & van Balen, 2010;Fedewa, Black & Ahn, 2014).…”

L’homoparentalité et la transparentalité au prisme des sciences sociales : révolution ou pluralisation des formes de parenté ?

“…Les conclusions de ces études indiquent que les jeunes adultes élevés par une mère lesbienne sont en bonne santé mentale, ne se définissent pas comme homosexuels, mais envisagent plus volontiers que les autres de « tenter l'expé-rience » avec une personne du même sexe. Toutefois, une étude parue en 2010 indique que les filles de mères lesbiennes ont plus de probabilité de vivre une expérience homosexuelle (Gartrell et al, 2010). Malgré la multiplication de nouvelles configurations familiales, il est souvent présumé que l'écart à la norme biparentale hétérosexuelle entraînerait une menace sur l'équilibre psychologique des enfants (Vecho et Schneider, 2015).…”

Social Science Studies and the Children of Lesbians and Gay Men: The Rational Basis Perspective

“…460 The most recent published study investigating a possible association between the sexual orientation of parents and that of their children appeared in 2011. 461 This report is part of the ongoing study known as the National Longitudinal Lesbian Family Study, which began in 1986. 462 The 2011 article reported on the sexual orientation and behavior of seventy-eight seventeen-year-olds raised by lesbian mothers from birth.…”