Adaptation process of parents experiencing the coming out of their child

Abstract

Objective

The objective of the study was to analyze the process of adaptation in parents residing in Poland whose child has revealed their gay/lesbian sexual orientation or gender identity and determine the stages and conditions of this process.

Background

When a young person discloses their gay/lesbian sexual orientation or transgender identity, their parents' reaction has a significant impact on their psychological well-being and on whether their family system can survive.

Method

This study, carried out from July to November 2022, involved conducting 21 interviews with parents residing in Poland whose child (whether a younger child, an adolescent, or an emerging adult) had come out about their gay/lesbian sexual orientation or transgender identity.

Results

Analysis of interviews conducted during the research revealed the main stages of the process of parents' adaptation to their child coming out: initial attribution, coming out, secondary attribution, confrontation, and acceptance. For individual stages, we categorized reactions, which complement the description of an individual trajectory of adaptation.

Conclusion

It is our opinion that for parents experiencing their child's coming out, the concept of their adaptation should be expanded to include a theory of grief and psychological crisis, highlighting the parents' need for cognitive-functional validation of the situation.

Implications

Future research should seek to individualize the adaptation trajectories of parents whose child has come out about their sexual orientation or gender identity and relate these analyses to both mothers' and fathers' parental roles.