Microaggressions, Child-Teacher Relationship, and Social Competence Among Children of Sexual Minority Parents: A Longitudinal Study

• In Event: Microaggressions Experiences and Developmental Outcomes Among Offspring of Sexual and Gender Minority Parents Over Time

Abstract

Peers form a central part of school-age children’s immediate social context (Verschueren, 2015), and social skills in middle childhood (i.e., 6–12 years) predict later positive development (Odom et al., 2008). This is also the time when children of sexual minority parents (SMPs) begin to understand that their family does not correspond to societal portrayals of family structure, and thus may be particularly sensitive to insults and teasing by peers (Farr et al., 2016a, 2016b; Vanfraussen et al., 2002). Although microaggressions – i.e., subtle or unintentional insults related to having SMPs – may not be intended to cause harm (Sue, 2010), their collective impact can generate considerable distress in these children, given their repetitive, often daily, occurrence (Nadal et al., 2016). Aligned with Bronfenbrenner’s (2001) ecological theory regarding the impact of broader contexts of social interactions on individual development, it is possible that these microaggressions could result in negative psychosocial outcomes for children (Farr et al., 2016b), even though they report positive perceptions of their family and navigate experiences of difference proudly (Farr et al., 2016a). Under such circumstances, given the ambiguous and subtle nature of microaggressions, child-teacher relationship quality may be protective insofar as children may seek support and comfort from their teacher in times of stress, and the relationship with the teacher may help them to feel more comfortable exploring their learning environment (Troop-Gordon, 2015; Verschueren & Koomen, 2012).

Using a longitudinal design, it was hypothesized that children experiencing more microaggressions, but a more positive child-teacher relationship, would not be negatively affected in their social competence.

Participants were 33 Italian gay father families through gestational surrogacy (n = 66 parents and 33 children) and 37 Italian lesbian mother families through donor insemination (n = 74 parents and 37 children), all with a child aged 8.3 years (SD = 1.8; 51.4% females) at Wave 1 (W1) and 9.9 years (SD = 1.8) at Wave 2 (W2). At W2, the teacher (n = 60) who spent more time with the child in the class also participated.

At W1, children rated their relationship with their teacher using the Network of Relationships Inventory (Furman & Buhrmester, 2009) during 3hr-home visits. Children also responded to a standardized semi-structured interview (Farr et al., 2016) to investigate microaggressions by peers. Microaggression instances were counted and rated for their intensity, from 0 (absent) to 3 (high). At W2, both parents and teachers completed the Social Skills Rating System (Gresham & Elliott, 1990) during home visits and by email, respectively, to evaluate the children’s social behavior.

Hierarchical linear modeling (using parents’ ratings) and multiple linear regression (using teachers’ ratings) indicated that child-teacher relationship quality was protective for child social competence in the face of experiences of microaggressions. The results inform educational policy and practice related to ongoing antibullying efforts, as well as emphasize the need for teachers to be attuned to the school experiences of children with SMPs, and to cultivate caring classroom environments in which children’s sensitivity to family diversity is heightened.

Authors

• Nicola Carone, University of Pavia
  Presenting Author

• Vittorio Lingiardi, Sapienza Unviersity of Rome
  Non-Presenting Author

• Roberto Baiocco, Sapienza University of Rome
  Non-Presenting Author

• Lavinia Barone, University of Pavia, IT
  Non-Presenting Author