Danielle Julien

Conflict, social support, and relationship quality: an observational study of heterosexual, gay male, and lesbian couples' communication.

Data from 42 heterosexual, 46 gay male, and 33 lesbian couples were used to assess the contribution of conflict and support discussions to relationship quality. Couples completed questionnaires, and videotaped discussions were coded for levels of negative and positive behaviors. Correlations showed that behaviors were associated with relationship quality in the expected directions. Hierarchical linear modeling analyses assessed the unique contributions of individual and dyadic behaviors to the variability of relationship quality. The findings indicated that, beyond the contribution of individual negative behaviors in the conflict task, the variables of dyadic positive behaviors in the conflict task, individual positive behaviors in the support task, and perceived help accounted for unexplained variance in relationship quality. There were no differences between types of couples on levels of behaviors or on their contributions to relationship quality.

Predictive validity of adult attachment measures in relation to emotion regulation behaviors in marital interactions.

This study examined the predictive validity of 2 assessment approaches to adult attachment in relation to emotion regulation behaviors during marital conflict interactions. Both partners of 40 couples completed the Adult Attachment Style self-report (AAS; C. Hazan & P. Shaver, 1987), the Adult Attachment Questionnaire (AAQ; J. A. Simpson, 1990), the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI; C. George, N. Kaplan, & M. Main, 1985), and a videotaped interaction during which the partners engaged in a problem-solving discussion. The discussions were coded by means of the Interactional Dimensions Coding System (IDCS; D. Julien, H. J. Markman, & K. M. Lindhal, 1989). Results showed that AAI classification predicted proactive emotion regulation behaviors, whereas the AAS and the AAQ did not. Issues concerning the predictive validity of current measures of adult attachment are discussed.

Disclosure of Sexual Orientation and Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Youths’ Adjustment: Associations with Past and Current Parental Acceptance and Rejection

One hundred eleven self-identified gay, lesbian, and bisexual (GLB) youths who had disclosed sexual orientation to parents and 53 GLB youths who had not disclosed to parents participated in a study that examined (1) the associations between parent-child relationship quality in childhood to GLB youths’ coming out; (2) the associations between GLB youths’ coming out to parents, on the one hand, and GLB youths’ identity and psychological maladjustment, and alcohol and drug consumption, on the other hand; and (3) the unique associations between past and current family relationship characteristics and GLB youths’ current identity and psychological adjustment, and alcohol and drug consumption. Results showed that, compared to undisclosed youths, disclosed youths reported higher levels of acceptance from their mothers and fathers in childhood, and lower levels of rejection by fathers in childhood. Also, as compared to undisclosed youths, a smaller proportion of disclosed youths reported they had engaged in alcohol and drug consumption behaviors. Among disclosed youths, past and current parental acceptance and rejection accounted for unique variance of youths’ current identity and psychological maladjustment, whereas current rejection of sexual orientation accounted for unique variance of current youths’ alcohol and drug consumption. Research and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.

Male couples' dyadic adjustment and the use of safer sex within and outside of primary relationships.

Eighty-two cohabiting men (41 male couples) provided data on their sexual behavior patterns with their primary partner and with other partners. A multifactorial index of risk behaviors was used to measure exposure to HIV, and the association between relationship adjustment in primary relationships and the use of safer sex practices was assessed. Relationship adjustment was higher among individual men using safer sex practices inside and outside of their primary relationships than among men using riskier sex practices. In addition, partners who practiced safer sex had lower relationship satisfaction when their primary partner practiced risky sex as opposed to safer sex. The findings are discussed with reference to the processes likely to account for the association between relationship quality and health outcomes.

Development and initial validation of the Perceived Heterosexism Scale and the Preoccupation with Disclosure of Parents’ Sexual Orientation Scale.

In this study we develop and validate scales that capture experiences unique to children raised by gay or lesbian parents. The Perceived Heterosexism Scale (PHS) measures childrens perception of their peers’ heterosexist biases towards gay- or lesbian-headed families, and the Preoccupation with Disclosure of Parents’ Sexual Orientation Scale (PDPSOS) measures childrens preoccupation with disclosure of parents’ sexual orientation in a peer setting. Sixty-four adolescents of lesbian mothers (29 boys, 35 girls) completed the scales. Findings show that the scales display a clear one-factor solution and good internal consistency. We confirm the scales’ construct validity by examining their association with adolescents’ well-being. Both of the scales’ construct validities are strongly confirmed for boys and partially for girls. Further work is needed to assess the experiences that children of gay or lesbian parents have relative to heterosexism, and to explore factors that likely account for differences between boys and girls.

Parental involvement among adoptive gay fathers: Associations with resources, time constraints, gender role, and child adjustment.

The present study investigated the contribution of various factors to parental involvement and children’s psychosocial adjustment among adoptive families headed by two gay fathers. More specifically, we examined the associations between fathers’ resources (income and education), number of hours devoted to paid work, gender role, sharing of parenting tasks, and parental involvement. The contribution of parental involvement, task sharing, and gender role to children’s adjustment was also examined. A sample of 92 fathers and their 46 children aged 1 to 9 years participated in the study. Fathers completed a series of questionnaires: sociodemographic, Who Does What, Parental Engagement, Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI), and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Adoptive gay fathers reported a rather egalitarian division of tasks and high levels of involvement in various areas of childcare although within couples one of the two fathers was usually more involved than the other. Income and gender role were the main predictors of overall involvement. Gay fathers also reported few behavior problems in their child. Dissatisfaction with the sharing of parenting tasks was found to predict child internalizing and externalizing symptoms.

Interlinkages between parental and trans trajectories: A life course perspective.

Drawing on Elder’s life course theory, this study (a) examined parenthood and trans trajectories, their development and interactions across the life span, and (b) compared the experience of trans people who became parents before (pretransition parents) or after (posttransition parents) they initiated a social/medical transition. Semistructured interviews were administered to 24 Canadian trans parents. The content of the interviews was analyzed using thematic analysis. Themes reflecting the interlinkages between parental and trans trajectories were contextualized in the respective life course of pre- and posttransition parents, and contrasts between the two groups of parents were highlighted. Ongoing gender identity struggles characterized pretransition parents’ experiences throughout their lives, from family projections to family formation, and to family changes with the parents’ transition. By contrast, posttranstion parents had children in the context of their desired identity, yet the struggles of forming a family in the context of unadapted institutional services characterized their lives. Both groups shared similar issues regarding family marginalization, trans visibility, and identities’ acknowledgment. The differences between pre- and posttransition parents were accounted for by cohort effects, sequence of parental and trans trajectories, and their overlaps. Overall, the findings highlighted the lifelong, dynamic, and bidirectional influences between parental and trans trajectories. Professionals working with trans people and their families must be trained to be aware of their specific challenges and to better support them. S’appuyant sur la théorie du parcours de vie développée par Elder, cette étude (a) examine le développement des trajectoires parentales et trans de même que leurs interactions au cours de la vie et (b) compare les expériences des personnes trans qui sont devenues parent avant (parents prétransition) et après (parents posttransition) avoir débuté une transition sociale/médicale. Des entrevues semi-structurées ont été conduites auprès de 24 parents trans canadiens. Une analyse thématique du contenu des entrevues a été réalisée. Les thèmes reflétant les interactions entre les trajectoires parentales et trans ont été situés dans le parcours de vie spécifique des parents pré- et posttransition, et des contrastes entre les deux groupes de parents ont été mis en relief. Les expériences des parents prétransition étaient caractérisées par des luttes constantes relatives à l’identité de genre qui se déroulaient tout au long de leur vie, notamment lors des projections familiales, de la transition à la parentalité et des changements familiaux qui ont suivi la transition du parent. En revanche, les parents posttransition ont eu des enfants alors qu’ils endossaient leur identité de genre désirée. Ainsi, leurs expériences étaient caractérisées par des défis de fonder une famille dans un contexte où les services institutionnels ne sont pas adaptés aux personnes trans. Les deux groupes de parents partageaient des préoccupations similaires en lien avec la marginalisation de leur famille, la visibilité trans et la reconnaissance de leurs identités. Nos résultats suggèrent que les distinctions entre les parents pré- et posttransition s’expliquent par un effet de cohorte, par la séquence entre les trajectoires parentales et trans et leur chevauchement. Dans l’ensemble, ils illustrent le caractère dynamique des trajectoires parentales et trans de même que leurs influences mutuelles tout au long de la vie. Les professionnels travaillant auprès des personnes trans et leur famille doivent être formés sur les défis de ces familles et sur les meilleures pratiques de soutien.

Negotiating parental designations among trans parents’ families: An ecological model of parental identity.

Parental designations contribute to construct parental identity in the eyes of the child, the parent, and the generalized others. In a hetero/cisnormative context that offers only 2 options for parental identity (male fathers and female mothers), this study (a) provided an overview of the parental designations of trans people and their evolution as parents transitioned, (b) and generated a model of factors associated with the choice of posttransition parental designations. Semistructured interviews guided by the Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model (1988) were administered to 24 Canadian trans parents. The content of the interviews was analyzed using thematic analyses. Results showed that the choice of parental designations was influenced by the timing of childbirth, parents’ consideration of normative strains, negotiation with their children, and issues related to public spaces. Overall, trans parental identity appeared as a multidimensional, multidetermined, nonbinary, and fluid identity in a context of nonalignment between the sex assigned at birth and gender identity. Institutional forms and legislation relative to parenting and birthing must acknowledge the diversity of parental identity and designations.