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A collaborative study conducted by the University of Amsterdam and the UCLA School of Law has revealed that parenting has less to do with the sexual orientation and more to do with a healthy parent-child relationship.
The study analysed data from 190 households; half were made up of female same-sex parents and the other half, different-sex parents.
Only homes where parents raised their children from birth were included.
Researchers considered various factors, specifically "family relationships, parenting stress, and children's general health, emotional difficulties, coping behaviour, and learning behaviour."
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What's been your experience with raising children as a gay or lesbian parent? Share your story with us, and we could publish your mail. Anonymous contributions are welcome.
Same same
Except for parenting stress, no differences were found among the 190 families surveyed regarding family relationships and child mental and physical well-being.
According to the study, parenting stress for same-sex couples originates mostly from "stigmatisation," with gay couples reporting "concerns about rearing their children in a homophobic society," as a major cause of anxiety.
Another contributing factor to parenting stress, gay moms said, was the "pressure to justify the quality of their parenting," relying on parenting groups and therapy for support.
Strained spouse/partner relationships more harmful to child outcomes
The researchers found that what did impact children more than any other factors were strained relationships among parents and negative parent-child relationships, highlighting that when talking overall well-being, and academic performance, a healthy relationship between a parent and a child is essential, and regarding a child's mental health, a happy "spouse/partner relationship" is key.
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What's been your experience with raising children as a gay parent? Share your story with us, and we could publish your mail. Anonymous contributions are welcome.
