Literature Review As stated above, literature on sexual orientation and sexual minority families is lacking and therefore the literature will be review by article rather than themes. The following articles focus on two of the popular topics in sexual orientation that relate to marriages, children, and family systems theory. The research topics that will be explored are impacts of parental sexual orientation and adolescents experiences when discussing sexuality in the healthcare environment.
Parental Sexual Orientation, Does it Matter? A study from 2016, conducted at the University of Kentucky, aimed to investigate the controversies surrounding parenting by sexual minority families and the outcomes that this parenting had on children adopted in infancy since same-sex parent adoption is becoming …show more content…
According to previous foundational research in family systems theory, there is evidence that the effects of parenting and family relationships have a greater influence on child development than the family structure one is raised in. Family systems theory also emphasizes the concept of spillover effects, which described how emotions, behaviors, and stress in one family subsystem (i.e., spouse relationship) will “spillover,” or be transferred, to other subsystems (i.e., the parent-child relationship). According to research/literature on family stress theory, all families differ in how the manage with stress and individual’s reactions to stressors are dependent on family-based resources, perceptions, and attribution of what causes the stressor. This cumulative effect of stressors may diminish overall family functioning and may in fact burden family level coping (Farr, 2016). Previous studies based on this theoretical framework found that there were significant associations between parental stress and children’s emotional difficulties, and because of these findings were addressed in the current study. The researcher indicated that
Parental Sexual Orientation, Does it Matter? A study from 2016, conducted at the University of Kentucky, aimed to investigate the controversies surrounding parenting by sexual minority families and the outcomes that this parenting had on children adopted in infancy since same-sex parent adoption is becoming …show more content…
According to previous foundational research in family systems theory, there is evidence that the effects of parenting and family relationships have a greater influence on child development than the family structure one is raised in. Family systems theory also emphasizes the concept of spillover effects, which described how emotions, behaviors, and stress in one family subsystem (i.e., spouse relationship) will “spillover,” or be transferred, to other subsystems (i.e., the parent-child relationship). According to research/literature on family stress theory, all families differ in how the manage with stress and individual’s reactions to stressors are dependent on family-based resources, perceptions, and attribution of what causes the stressor. This cumulative effect of stressors may diminish overall family functioning and may in fact burden family level coping (Farr, 2016). Previous studies based on this theoretical framework found that there were significant associations between parental stress and children’s emotional difficulties, and because of these findings were addressed in the current study. The researcher indicated that