| Abstrakt: |
This article discusses the effects of the disclosure by youths of their homosexual identity to the child-parent relationship. In this article, the focus is on the parents. First, attention is given to the purported developmental stages that characterize parental reactions to the disclosure news. Second, empirical research that addresses these stages is then reviewed. The article concludes with a discussion on future research needs regarding the youth-parent relationship, both before and after disclosure, and implications for those who care for the mental health of heterosexual parents with gay children. Although parents often react in a less than ideal fashion after learning of their child's same-sex attractions, limited research indicates that most eventually arrive at tolerance or acceptance of their son's or daughter's sexual orientation. This process is not an easy one and a period of uncertainty, disruption, and, in more tempestuous cases, chaos is often created within the family. Shock is not considered to be a stage of development but an initial parental reaction to the disclosure by a child that she or he is gay/lesbian. |
