Does parental sexual orientation matter? A longitudinal follow-up of adoptive families with school-age children.

Controversy continues to surround parenting by lesbian and gay (LG) adults and outcomes for their children. As sexual minority parents increasingly adopt children, longitudinal research about child development, parenting, and family relationships is crucial for informing such debates. In the psychological literature, family systems theory contends that children’s healthy development depends upon healthy family functioning more so than family structure. From the framework of family stress theory, it was expected that longitudinal outcomes for school-age children adopted in infancy could be distinct among those with same-sex versus other-sex parents (N = 96 families). Similar findings were hypothesized in terms of parent adjustment, couple relationships, and family functioning in comparing same-sex and other-sex parent families. Results indicated that adjustment among children, parents, and couples, as well as family functioning, were not different on the basis of parental sexual orientation (lesbian, gay, or heterosexual) when children were school-age. Rather, children’s behavior problems and family functioning during middle childhood were predicted by earlier child adjustment issues and parenting stress. These findings are consistent with and extend previous literature about families headed by LG parents, particularly those that have adopted children. The results have implications for advancing supportive policies, practices, and laws related to adoption and parenting by sexual minority adults.

本研究聚焦于小学阶段过渡期对家庭系统的影响，特别关注性少数父母家庭与异性恋父母家庭在这一过程中面临的压力与适应差异。基于家庭压力理论，该纵向研究比较了收养家庭中孩子、父母、伴侣关系及整体家庭系统在两个时间点（孩子学龄前期和小学中期）的变化情况。研究的核心问题包括：(1) 孩子的行为适应、父母的养育压力及伴侣关系调整在两个时间点之间的变化是否因家庭类型（同性或异性父母）而有所不同；(2) 早期评估的变量（如孩子行为问题、养育压力或伴侣关系调整）如何预测后期孩子的行为适应与家庭功能，并探索性少数父母家庭与异性恋父母家庭之间的关联差异。本研究旨在揭示社会污名等特定压力源如何影响性少数父母家庭的长期适应性。

本研究采用纵向设计，招募了通过美国五家私人收养机构收养子女的同性和异性父母家庭。这些机构位于同性伴侣合法收养子女的地区，并向研究人员推荐符合条件的家庭。数据分别在两个时间点（W1和W2）通过家访和在线问卷收集，涵盖了儿童行为适应、父母养育压力、伴侣关系调整及家庭功能等维度。W1包含106个家庭（同性父母56组，异性父母50组），子女年龄为1至5岁；W2包含96个家庭，子女平均年龄为8.38岁。研究还收集了儿童教师的评估数据，参与家庭在W1至W2期间的保留率为91%。研究措施包括标准化的问卷工具，数据分析注重比较同性和异性父母家庭在多个变量上的差异及关联。本研究严格遵循伦理审查程序，确保参与者知情同意，且未提供金钱报酬。

本研究发现，儿童、父母、伴侣关系及家庭功能在小学阶段的适应性并未因父母的性倾向（同性恋或异性恋）而显著不同。相反，儿童的行为问题和家庭功能主要受到早期儿童适应问题和养育压力的影响。这些结果支持并拓展了关于同性恋父母家庭的现有研究，尤其是收养子女的家庭。研究强调，与家庭结构相比，家庭功能对儿童健康发展的关键作用，并为有关性少数父母抚养子女的争议提供了重要的实证支持。