Parental Experiences of Coming Out: From "Un-doing Family Bonds" to "Family Generativity".
J Homosex
; 70(10): 2135-2157, 2023 Aug 24.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-35271435
ABSTRACT
The coming out (CO) is a family process that involves the LGB+ person and all family members. The present study aimed to analyze the CO process from parents' perspective and examine if and how the emotional states of mothers and fathers changed in the years following the disclosure. The study involved 25 Italian parents (16 mothers, 9 fathers; Mage = 67, SD = 7.8) of 17 gay men and 8 lesbian women. Data were collected using a semi-structured interview designed to explore parents' reactions to their child's CO and the evolution of their CO experiences over the medium to long term (M = 13.9; SD = 8.3). Interviews were analyzed using emotional text analysis, representing a mixed methodology for tracing the emotional dimensions that organize linguistic productions. The factorial analysis generated four thematic clusters (1) the un-doing of family bonds; (2) perceived gender typicality in childhood; (3) the freedom to be oneself and transgression; and (4) family generativity. Parents experience CO as challenging, especially in the initial phase. However, some parents develop CO narratives characterized by openness, pride, and generativity. The findings have implications for practice.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Homosexualidad Femenina
/
Minorías Sexuales y de Género
Tipo de estudio:
Qualitative_research
Límite:
Aged
/
Child
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Homosex
Año:
2023
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Italia