Parent-Child Sex Communication Prompts, Approaches, Reactions, and Functions According to Gay, Bisexual, and Queer Sons

Parental Identity and Lived Experiences when Parenting a LGBTQIA+2 Child: A Critical Narrative Synthesis of Current Evidence

PURPOSE

Most LGBTQIA + 2 studies focus on the core sexually and gender diverse population without exploring the peripheral familial perspectives. Current research needs to explore parental experiences of parenting a LGBTQIA+2 child, since parents undergo an identity change after their child's disclosure. This parental identity change may affect parental well-being and add to the existing stress of parenting a LGBTQIA + 2 child.

METHODS

This paper uses the identity process theory (IPT) to review 18 studies on parental narratives to highlight the change in parental identity. Databases were searched for first-hand parenting experiences and shortlisted articles were qualitatively synthesized.

FINDINGS

We identified six main themes: I) Parental identity change is triggered by a child's disclosure. II) Parental identity change drives parental emotions that evolve from initial anger, shock, fear, concern, grief, etc. to eventual acceptance of their child. III) Parental identity and emotions change, as for any life change process, across assimilation, accommodation, adjustment, and evaluation phases of the IPT. IV) Parental identity change is motivated by continuity, coherence, self-efficacy, belongingness, distinctiveness, meaning and self-esteem principles of the IPT. V) Parental identity influences parental micro-individual, meso-interactional and macro-societal interactions of the IPT framework. VI) Parental mental well-being may be affected across the assimilation, accommodation, adjustment phases of the IPT before eventual acceptance of the child in the evaluation phase.

CONCLUSIONS

Parental lived experiences require a stronger consideration today within the wider, non-white, contexts. The effect of identity change on parental mental well-being and its intergenerational effect needs to be explored within the context of the IPT. Parental narratives will contribute towards creating appropriate counselling toolkits and interventions for health care providers and parents of LGBTQIA + 2 children.

The "what" and "how" of father-teen talks about sex and relationships

For adolescents who have a father in their lives, father-teen conversations about sex and relationships can protect teens from risky sexual behaviors. However, little is known about the content and process of these conversations. This study explored topics of and approaches to fathers' talk with their teens about sex and relationships in interviews with a diverse sample of 43 fathers of high school-aged adolescents from across the United States. Interview data were analyzed using content analysis. The results showed how fathers talked with their adolescent children about topics of sexual behavior, risks of sex, dating and relationships, as well as less studied areas of diverse sexual and gender identities and consent, and how these conversations differed with male and female teens. Findings also showed that fathers took multiple approaches to talk about sex, including personal talk, talk about friends and family, and use of media and other distal contexts to start conversations. These findings show how fathers contribute to the sexual socialization of their adolescent children and suggest points of access for fathers who are unsure how to approach talk with their teens about sex and relationships. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Differences in the sexual health information parents/guardians give their adolescent sexual minority sons by outness

Introduction

Parents and guardians are a potentially valuable source of sexual health information for adolescent sexual minority males (ASMM). The current study examines what sexual health topics ASMM report discussing with a parent/guardian and whether topics differ by outness about sexual attraction to other males.

Methods

ASMM (N=154; ages 14-17) in the United States completed the baseline of an online sexual health intervention pilot in 2020. They reported which of twelve sexual health topics they discussed with a parent/guardian and if they had disclosed their sexual attraction to other males. Associations between topics discussed and outness to a parent/guardian were examined with Firth logistic regression.

Results

Eighty-eight (57%) participants reported being out to a parent/guardian. Six sexual health topics were significantly more likely to be discussed if participants were out. The three categories with the largest differences by outness were how to: discuss with a partner what they would not like to do sexually (aOR = 7.0, 95% CI: 2.0-24.6), use condoms (aOR = 5.9, 95% CI: 2.3-15.1), and prevent HIV/AIDS (aOR = 3.5, 95% CI = 1.4-8.7).

Conclusions

Interventions on parental/guardian provision of sexual health information are needed to ensure ASMM receive relevant sexual health knowledge.