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All parents want what's best for their kids. But providing support isn't always easy — especially if you parent a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning (LGBTQ) child. In many ways, no different from their peers, LGBTQ youth face unique challenges that parents often feel unprepared to tackle. To help, Johns Hopkins pediatricians and adolescent medicine specialists Renata Arrington Sanders and Errol Fields share steps you can take to keep your kid happy and healthy.
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People are forced to flee their homes daily to escape war, violence, and persecution. For members of the LGBTIQ+ community, the violence and persecution they face is often simply because of who they are or who they love. Many are forced to conceal who they are, leave their communities and loved ones behind, and try to find safety elsewhere. Understanding the circumstances that cause LGBTIQ+ individuals to flee is essential in helping end discrimination, persecution, and prejudice. Storytelling is one of the greatest tools we have to uplift the voices of those who often go unheard and…
Brief
Coming out is an extremely emotional and often nerve-racking experience for those in the LGBTQ community. Youth within the LGBTQ community are at increased risk for physical and mental illnesses, including depression, anxiety, and drug and alcohol abuse. They are more likely to have physical and mental health outcomes on par with their straight and cisgender peers if they receive support from their families and communities. This 2018 blog post explains how parents can help their child by providing the care, support, and validation they need to thrive.
Brief
LGBTQ History is an umbrella term that includes the histories of individuals, cultures, and communities that have been considered non-normative. This 2016 study introduced readers to LGBTQ History in the United States and covered various topics, including the gay rights and liberation movement, the AIDS pandemic, and the legalization of same-sex marriage.
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Journal Article
Why do men tend to underutilize mental health services? One reason may be that men are less frequently referred to seek such services. Indeed, male friends and family members may be particularly unlikely to refer men to seek mental health services, as it means going against the traditional male gender role proscription of talking to other men about emotional issues. This study is the first to explore how men’s experiences of gender role conflict may be associated with an increased endorsement of stigmatization around mental health concerns and, subsequently, a decreased willingness to…
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Journal Article
A meta-analysis was undertaken, including 34 studies, to determine whether fathers play a unique role in parenting that is different from mothers’ roles. Statistical analyses were done to determine the extent to which the effects of fathering children were distinct from that of mothering. In addition to examining this phenomenon overall, the meta-analysis also specifically examined social measurements, psychological indicators, and academic achievement. The possible unique effects of fatherhood were also examined in relation to the age and gender of the child. The results indicate…
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Journal Article
The experiences of mothers and fathers are different in ways that could affect their well-being. Yet few studies have comprehensively examined gender differences in parents’ well-being. In the current research, we investigated such gender differences in a large representative sample (Study 1a; N = 13,007), in a community sample using validated well-being measures (Study 1b; N = 472), and in a large experience sampling study measuring happiness during caregiving activities and during interactions with children (Study 2; N = 4,930). Fathers reported greater happiness, subjective well-being,…
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Journal Article
As laws and attitudes have become friendlier to queer families in recent decades, gay fathers have experienced increased visibility in and through both media and scholarship. However, this visibility has been distributed unevenly along normative patterns of marital status, race, class, and kinship. Findings suggest that single gay fathers, gay fathers of color, and gay fathers who had children in heterosexual contexts occupy marginalized statuses within the gay fatherhood community. The experiences of gay fathers on the margins highlight the negative consequences of gay fatherhood discourses…
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The present study was based on analyses of data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, a multi-year national sample of young adults which began in 1979 (NLSY79). To explore the role that father involvement during adolescence has on gender role ideology of young adult Hispanic males and females, data from 406 Hispanic participants, a subset of the children of NLSY79 female respondents, were reviewed from the 1992 through 2002 biannual survey waves. Gender role ideology is the extent to which opinions and beliefs about family and work roles differ based on sex, and range along a…
Other, Fact Sheet
Designed for judges, this bench card contains ways in which judicial officers can help better engage fathers by understanding how men seek help and learn differently from women. They can also encourage the child welfare agency to work with fathers as often as mothers, offer services geared toward men's learning styles, and work as hard to find and engage fathers as mothers. (Author abstract modified)
