Parents' Reproductive Concerns and Negativity Toward Their Child Disclosing a Minoritized Sexual Orientation

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Sociology
• Evolutionary Psychology

Background:

• Parental reactions to children disclosing minoritized sexual orientations are often negative.
• These negative reactions may be linked to underlying evolutionary concerns about reproductive success.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between parents' reproductive concerns and their attitudes towards a child disclosing a lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) orientation.
• To test whether providing information about reproductive assistance can improve parental attitudes towards LGB disclosures.

Main Methods:

• A correlational study (N=386) examined associations between parental reproductive concerns and views on LGB disclosure.
• Two randomized experiments (N=327 mothers, N=279 fathers) tested the effect of reproductive assistance information versus control information on parental attitudes.

Main Results:

• Parents with greater reproductive concerns and pessimistic beliefs about LGB reproduction held more negative views.
• Parents receiving information on reproductive assistance reported more positive attitudes toward LGB children and the LGB community.
• These attitude shifts were mediated by increased optimism about LGB reproduction.

Conclusions:

• Reproductive concerns significantly influence parental perceptions of children's sexual orientation disclosures.
• Alleviating parental reproductive concerns may improve relationships with sexually diverse children.
• Interventions focusing on reproductive assistance information can foster greater acceptance.