Parent Mental Health, Resilience, and Child Temperament: A Comparison of LGB and Heterosexual Parents

Victoria Hope Jones

Most of the existing parenting research contains samples almost exclusively of heterosexual individuals, systematically excluding parents who identify as sexual minorities (e.g., lesbian, gay, bisexual; LGB). These individuals face unique challenges in their parenting journey, as they are at risk of experiencing prejudice or discrimination based on their sexuality, likely affecting their mental health and wellbeing. To further understand LGB parents’ experiences and how they may be similar or different from heterosexual parents, this project aimed to study parent mental health (i.e., parenting stress, depression, and anxiety), parent-child interactions (PCI), child temperament, and minority stress. This study also aimed to gain more insight about the relationship between parenting stress and temperament, as the current literature is conflicting regarding the directionality of their relationship. To illuminate protective factors, strengths, and potential sources of intervention, this study also examined resilience and perceived social support. It was hypothesized that parenting stress and resilience would not significantly differ between LGB and heterosexual parents. Although the directionality of the relationship between parenting stress and temperament was unclear, it was hypothesized that children of parents with higher parenting stress levels would have greater negative emotionality (NE) and lower ratings of positive affectivity/surgency (PAS). It was also hypothesized that parent depression and anxiety would positively predict parenting stress, and greater resilience and perceived social support would be associated with lower parenting stress scores. Lastly, it was hypothesized that minority stress would predict parent mental health such that LGB parents with greater minority stress would report greater parenting stress, depression, and anxiety, while resilience and perceived social support would be moderating, protective factors. Participants (N = 103, 73 heterosexual parents, 30 LGB parents) of children less than 4 years of age completed surveys related to the aforementioned variables and PCI video recordings. Results indicated there were no mean differences between parent mental health, resilience and perceived social support, and child temperament between LGB and heterosexual parents. Findings suggest child temperament predicts parenting stress; however, the results were not in the hypothesized manner. Specifically, results indicated that PAS positively predicted parenting stress, and NE and regulatory capacity/ effortful control (REG) negatively predicted parenting stress. Somewhat consistent with hypotheses, anxiety positively predicted parenting stress, but depression did not. Resilience and perceived social support did not have a moderating effect; however, results indicate they directly predict parent mental health. Finally, results revealed that felt stigma predicted LGB parent depression when resilience was considered in the model. Overall, the present study helps establish the generalizability of prior parenting and early childhood research to LGB parents, as there were no mean differences based on parent sexuality. Additionally, findings highlight the importance of resilience and social support as an area of strength and beneficial target of intervention to improve parent mental health.

Parent Mental Health, Resilience, and Child Temperament: A Comparison of LGB and Heterosexual Parents

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