Adolescents of the U.S. National Longitudinal Lesbian Family Study: Sexual Orientation, Sexual Behavior, and Sexual Risk Exposure

This study assessed Kinsey self-ratings and lifetime sexual experiences of 17-year-olds whose lesbian mothers enrolled before these offspring were born in the longest-running, prospective study of same-sex parented families, with a 93% retention rate to date. Data for the current report were gathered through online questionnaires completed by 78 adolescent offspring (39 girls and 39 boys). The adolescents were asked if they had ever been abused and, if so, to specify by whom and the type of abuse (verbal, emotional, physical, or sexual). They were also asked to specify their sexual identity on the Kinsey scale, between exclusively heterosexual and exclusively homosexual. Lifetime sexual behavior was assessed through questions about heterosexual and same-sex contact, age of first sexual experience, contraception use, and pregnancy. The results revealed that there were no reports of physical or sexual victimization by a parent or other caregiver. Regarding sexual orientation, 18.9% of the adolescent girls and 2.7% of the adolescent boys self-rated in the bisexual spectrum, and 0% of girls and 5.4% of boys self-rated as predominantly-to-exclusively homosexual. When compared with age- and gender-matched adolescents of the National Survey of Family Growth, the study offspring were significantly older at the time of their first heterosexual contact, and the daughters of lesbian mothers were significantly more likely to have had same-sex contact. These findings suggest that adolescents reared in lesbian families are less likely than their peers to be victimized by a parent or other caregiver, and that daughters of lesbian mothers are more likely to engage in same-sex behavior and to identify as bisexual

本文的研究问题主要探讨了17岁青少年的性别认同和终生性经历，尤其是在女同性恋母亲抚养的家庭中成长的青少年，重点关注这些青少年是否遭遇虐待及其性取向和性行为模式。研究旨在了解由同性父母抚养的青少年的性别认同、性行为及其受虐待的情况，特别是在与一般家庭背景的青少年进行对比时。

研究方法方面，数据通过在线问卷调查收集，参与者为78名青少年，其中包括39名女孩和39名男孩，所有这些青少年的母亲都参与了最长时间的同性父母家庭前瞻性研究，且在此研究中保留率高达93%。问卷内容包括询问青少年是否曾遭遇虐待，若有，虐待者是谁，虐待的类型；让青少年根据金赛量表评定他们的性取向，量表从完全异性恋到完全同性恋；以及关于青少年的性行为的详细问题，包括首次性接触的年龄、避孕使用情况、是否怀孕等。

研究结论表明，女同性恋家庭抚养的青少年相比同龄人更少遭受父母或其他照料者的身体或性虐待。性取向方面，18.9%的女孩和2.7%的男孩自评为双性恋谱系，0%的女孩和5.4%的男孩自评为主要或完全同性恋。在性行为方面，与年龄和性别匹配的国家家庭生育调查中的青少年相比，研究对象首次异性接触的年龄显著较大，且女同性恋母亲的女儿更可能从事同性行为。这些结果表明，女同性恋家庭抚养的青少年相较于一般背景的同龄人更不容易遭遇虐待，而女同性恋母亲的女儿则更可能从事同性性行为并认同为双性恋。