LGBTQ+ Adoptive Parent Families: Parent-child Socialization, Individual Development Across Time, and Policy Considerations

• In Event: Adoption Across Development

Abstract

Many LGBTQ+ people desire to become parents, and they commonly do so through adoption in the United States as well as in numerous countries around the world. Children adopted by LGBTQ+ parents develop on par with their peers with cisgender heterosexual parents across domains and stages of development. Adoptees with LGBTQ+ parents also have unique life experiences related to diverse intersections of personal (race/ethnicity, adoption) and family (class, parent sexual orientation and gender) identities. For instance, LGBTQ+ adoptive families commonly engage in varying parent-child socialization practices related to race, sexual orientation, gender, adoption, and class, and these family dynamics share important associations with child outcomes. Moreover, members of LGBTQ+ adoptive parent families experience pervasive stigma and discrimination at interpersonal and institutional levels. Overall, this presentation will cover individual development, family socialization, and policy considerations related to LGBTQ+ adoptive parent families.

Author

• Rachel H. Farr, University of Kentucky
  Presenting Author