Children With LGBQ Parents, Psychosocial Outcomes

Does parental sexual orientation affect children’s personal and social development? If so, how, and to what degree? These questions have been discussed in the context of legal and policy debates in the United States and abroad, particularly in those concerning marriage of same-sex couples, child custody, and adoption by nonheterosexual adults. These questions are also relevant to many theoretical issues about the role of gender and biological linkages in Parent-Child relations. A considerable research literature that is relevant to such questions has developed over the past three decades. This entry provides an overview of social science research findings that address these questions.

[Page 211]The research has focused on a number of topics in the general area of psychosocial development. These include general adjustment and behavior, self-concept, ...