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Schumm WR, Crawford DW. Difficulties With Methodology in Social Science Research With Controversial Issues Regarding Human Sexuality. LINACRE QUARTERLY 2023; 90:194-216. [PMID: 37325432 PMCID: PMC10265389 DOI: 10.1177/00243639221082213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/20/2023]
Abstract
Social science is commonly used in debates about controversial issues, especially for those concerning human sexuality. However, caution must be exercised in interpreting such social science literature, because of a variety of methodological and theoretical weaknesses that are not uncommon. Families are complex structurally and over time; such data are not easily analyzed. Merely determining the number of, for example, sexual minority families has been a difficult task. While some new theories are popular with social scientists, for example, sexual minority theory, they are often used to the exclusion of other, equally valid theories and often are not well tested empirically. Some types of families remain relatively unexamined. Social scientists can be biased by their own values, which are reflected in weak use of theory and in a variety of methodological problems. Eight studies are presented as examples of probable confirmation bias, in which methods and theory were modified in unusual ways that may have affected the outcomes and conclusions. Suggestions for improving social science include greater attention to effect sizes rather than statistical significance per se, deliberately minimizing the politicization of science, developing a culture of humility with respect to social science, deliberately reducing common biases, and maintaining a deeper curiosity about social science than is often seen. Scientists must be open to seeing their best "sacred cow" ideas or theories disproven or modified with increases in research on such issues. Summary In controversial areas of social science, there can be numerous threats to the validity of science. Here, some of the more common risks for social science research and theory are examined, with several specific illustrations of how bias appears to have crept into social science, often as confirmation bias. Recommendations are made for reducing bias in future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Walter R. Schumm
- Department of Applied Human Sciences, Kansas State University College of Health and Human Sciences, Manhattan, KS, USA
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Zhang Y, Huang H, Wang M, Zhu J, Tan S, Tian W, Mo J, Jiang L, Mo J, Pan W, Ning C. Family outcome disparities between sexual minority and heterosexual families: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Glob Health 2023; 8:e010556. [PMID: 36878725 PMCID: PMC10016267 DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2022-010556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The number of children in sexual minority parent families has increased. This systematic review aims to synthesise the evidence of disparities in family outcomes between sexual minority and heterosexual families and to identify specific social risk factors of poor family outcomes. METHODS We systematically searched PubMed, the Web of Science, Embase, the Cochrane Library and APA PsycNet for original studies that compared family outcomes between sexual minority and heterosexual families. Two reviewers independently selected studies and assessed the risk of bias of included studies. Narrative synthesis and meta-analysis were conducted to synthesise evidence. RESULTS Thirty-four articles were included. The narrative synthesis results revealed several significant findings for children's gender role behaviour and gender identity/sexual orientation outcomes. Overall, 16 of 34 studies were included in the meta-analyses. The quantitative synthesis results suggested that sexual minority families may perform better in children's psychological adjustment and parent-child relationship than heterosexual families (standardised mean difference (SMD) -0.13, 95% CI -0.20 to -0.05; SMD 0.13, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.20), but not couple relationship satisfaction (SMD 0.26, 95% CI -0.13 to 0.64), parental mental health (SMD 0.00, 95% CI -0.16 to 0.16), parenting stress (SMD 0.01, 95% CI -0.20 to 0.22) or family functioning (SMD 0.18, 95% CI -0.11 to 0.46). CONCLUSION Most of the family outcomes are similar between sexual minority and heterosexual families, and sexual minority families have even better outcomes in some domains. Relevant social risk factors of poor family outcomes included stigma and discrimination, poor social support and marital status, etc. The next step is to integrate multiple aspects of support and multilevel interventions to reduce the adverse effects on family outcomes with a long-term goal of influencing policy and law making for better services to individuals, families, communities and schools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Zhang
- School of Nursing, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, China
| | - Haimei Huang
- School of Nursing, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, China
| | - Min Wang
- School of Nursing, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, China
| | - Jiawen Zhu
- School of Nursing, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, China
| | - Sumin Tan
- School of Nursing, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, China
| | - Weiyi Tian
- School of Nursing, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, China
| | - Jinli Mo
- School of Nursing, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, China
| | - Li Jiang
- School of Nursing, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, China
| | - Jieling Mo
- School of Nursing, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, China
| | - Wei Pan
- Duke University School of Nursing, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Chuanyi Ning
- School of Nursing, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, China
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Kabátek J, Perales F, Ablaza C. Evidence of a Fraternal Birth Order Effect on Male and Female Same-Sex Marriage in the Dutch Population: A Reply to Blanchard and Semenyna, Gómez Jiménez & Vasey. JOURNAL OF SEX RESEARCH 2022; 59:697-703. [PMID: 35040372 DOI: 10.1080/00224499.2021.2002798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jan Kabátek
- Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course
- Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
- CentER, Tilburg University
| | - Francisco Perales
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course
- School of Social Science, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, The University of Queensland
| | - Christine Ablaza
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course
- School of Social Science, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, The University of Queensland
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Long MC, Pelletier E, Romich J. Constructing monthly residential locations of adults using merged state administrative data. POPULATION STUDIES 2022; 76:253-272. [PMID: 35787238 PMCID: PMC9261274 DOI: 10.1080/00324728.2022.2085776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
In any month, administrative data collected by government agencies contain a fraction of the polity's adults, namely those who have interacted with government agencies in that month. For researchers and policymakers who want to evaluate questions that require a spatial location of the whole population of adults at a given time (e.g. job-residence spatial mismatch, impacts of local policies), these fragmentary records are insufficient. Combining administrative data from several agencies in the State of Washington, United States (US), we impute residential histories by parameterizing the 'decay' in maintenance of an observed address. This process yields an imputed population whose demography and geographic distribution matches well with survey estimates. This work uses driving licence, voter, social services, and birth records to append address locations to Unemployment Insurance data, a process that could be replicated with administrative records in other US states and countries with sporadic address data from various agencies.
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Ablaza C, Kabátek J, Perales F. Are Sibship Characteristics Predictive of Same Sex Marriage? An Examination of Fraternal Birth Order and Female Fecundity Effects in Population-level Administrative Data from the Netherlands. JOURNAL OF SEX RESEARCH 2022; 59:671-683. [PMID: 35040387 DOI: 10.1080/00224499.2021.1974330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Despite historical increases in the number of individuals engaging in same-sex relations and entering same-sex unions, the causes of sexual orientation remain an open question. Two biological processes that have received some degree of empirical validation are the fraternal birth-order effect (FBOE) and the female-fecundity effect (FFE). Respectively, these processes posit that having a greater number of older brothers and being part of larger sibships independently increase the odds of male homosexuality. Nevertheless, previous studies have relied on suboptimal data and methods, including underpowered and selected samples, and models that fail to fully disentangle the two processes. In addition, they have rarely analyzed samples of women. We address these limitations using high-quality, population-level linked register data from the Netherlands (n = 9,073,496). Applying a novel multivariable approach, we jointly examine the FBOE and FFE by comparing the sibship characteristics of men (n = 26,542) and women (n = 33,534) who entered a same-sex union against those who did not (n = 4,607,785 men and 4,405,635 women). Our analyses yield robust evidence of an FBOE on both male and female homosexuality, but no support for the FFE. Additionally, we find that individuals' birth order affects the probability of entering a same-sex union, regardless of the sex of older siblings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Ablaza
- School of Social Science, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia
- , ARC Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course
| | - Jan Kabátek
- , ARC Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course
- Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne
- Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
- CentER, Tilburg University
| | - Francisco Perales
- School of Social Science, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia
- , ARC Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course
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Gato J, Fontaine AM, César F, Leal D, Roskam I, Mikolajczak M. Parental Burnout and Its Antecedents among Same-Sex and Different-Sex Families. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19137601. [PMID: 35805259 PMCID: PMC9265538 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19137601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Revised: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Parental burnout (PB) results from a chronic imbalance between risks and resources and has severe and extended consequences on the wellbeing of parents and their children. Because same-sex (SS) and different-sex (DS) families face partially different stressors (e.g., SS parents are more stigmatized) but have also partially different resources (e.g., more egalitarian task sharing in SS couples), the current research aimed to investigate whether PB differs or not according to family type. Two studies were conducted. In study 1, family type differences in PB were explored among 114 demographically matched SS and DS families from 18 countries. Study 2 further explored the predictive value of family type, age, gender, and balance between risks and resources (BR2) in PB, using a sample of 222 matched SS and DS families. Parental burnout was not associated with family type in either study. Although differentially composed, the global BR2 score did not differ across family type and was a significant predictor of all PB dimensions, while controlling for the effect of family type, age, and gender. Thus, in accordance with reviewed studies, parental sexual identity was not associated with family functioning. Future studies should investigate the impact of specific risks and resources (e.g., social support from chosen social networks or legal climate) on PB levels among SS families.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge Gato
- Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal; (A.M.F.); (F.C.); (D.L.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Anne Marie Fontaine
- Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal; (A.M.F.); (F.C.); (D.L.)
| | - Filipa César
- Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal; (A.M.F.); (F.C.); (D.L.)
| | - Daniela Leal
- Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal; (A.M.F.); (F.C.); (D.L.)
| | - Isabelle Roskam
- Department of Psychology, UCLouvain, 1348 Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium; (I.R.); (M.M.)
| | - Moïra Mikolajczak
- Department of Psychology, UCLouvain, 1348 Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium; (I.R.); (M.M.)
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Mazrekaj D, Fischer MM, Bos HMW. Behavioral Outcomes of Children with Same-Sex Parents in The Netherlands. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19105922. [PMID: 35627459 PMCID: PMC9141065 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19105922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Revised: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/07/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Same-sex parents face substantial stressors due to their sexual orientation, such as experiences of prejudice and prohibitive legal environments. This added stress is likely to lead to reduced physical and mental health in same-sex parents that, in turn, may translate into problematic behavioral outcomes in their children. To date, there are only a few nationally representative studies that investigate the well-being of children with same-sex parents. The current study takes a closer look at children’s behavioral outcomes, reported by a parent, using an adapted version of the emotional, conduct, hyperactivity, pro-social, and peer problems subscales of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). We take advantage of unique data from the Netherlands based on a probability sample from population registers, whereby findings can be inferred to same-sex and different-sex parent households with parents between the ages of 30 and 65, and with children between the ages of 6 and 16 years (62 children with same-sex, and 72 children with different-sex parents). The findings obtained by coarsened exact matching suggest no significant disadvantages for children with same-sex parents compared to different-sex parents. We contextualize these findings in their wider cultural context, and recommend a renewed focus in future research away from deficit-driven comparisons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deni Mazrekaj
- Department of Sociology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 14, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Nuffield College, University of Oxford, New Road, Oxford OX1 1NF, UK
- Leuven Economics of Education Research (LEER), KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 69, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +31-6-4416-0276
| | - Mirjam M. Fischer
- Institute of Sociology und Social Psychology, University of Cologne, Albertus-Magnus-Platz, D-50923 Cologne, Germany;
| | - Henny M. W. Bos
- Research Institute Child Development and Education, Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Achtergracht 127, 1001 NG Amsterdam, The Netherlands;
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Laboring to Conceive: Reducing Barriers to Fertility Care for Same-Sex Mothers Pursuing Parenthood. WOMEN 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/women2010005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Infertility clinics and providers in the United States have made efforts to become LGBTQ-inclusive, yet patients in same-sex partnerships continue to face disproportionate barriers to accessing fertility services when pursuing parenthood. This narrative case study of a same-sex couple’s “labor to conceive” illustrates some of the structural barriers to family building that lesbian mothers face when seeking fertility care, including insurance coverage of fertility treatments, federal regulations for sperm donation, and legal definitions of parenthood. Exclusionary medical and legal systems are discussed, as are the informal strategies that this same-sex couple utilized to negotiate and circumvent these barriers. A patient-centered model of advocacy that facilitates access to and protection of same-sex partners seeking (in)fertility services is presented. Intervention points at the (1) Logistical and (2) Societal levels are considered with respect to three domains of same-sex reproduction: (A) insurance; (B) sperm donation; (C) legal adoption.
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