Browsing by Author "De Villiers, Barend Laing"

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    Resilience in families after a child’s same-sex sexual orientation disclosure: the child’s perspective
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2016-03) De Villiers, Barend Laing; Greeff, A. P.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Department of Psychology
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT : Although same-sex attraction is more openly accepted by society, it is still perceived by some with immense negativity due to traditional and conservative ideas surrounding sexuality. Same sex-attracted individuals are at greater risk (than their heterosexual peers) for mental health problems such as depression, social anxiety, use and abuse of illicit substances, victimisation and even suicide. Families play a vital role in the life and development of any child and, even more so, in the healthy development of a same sex-attracted child. Unfortunately, most families initially react in a negative manner towards their child’s disclosure of same-sex sexual orientation. Despite this, most families are able to adapt and cope, and later accept their child’s same-sex sexual orientation. The Resiliency Model of Family Stress, Adjustment and Adaptation (McCubbin & McCubbin, 1996) was used as the theoretical framework for this study, which aimed to identify factors, attributes and resources that families have available to cope with and adapt to their same sex-attracted child’s sexual orientation. A mixed-methods research design was utilised in which each participant completed seven self-report quantitative questionnaires and responded to an open-ended qualitative question. Fifty-four same sex-attracted participants were recruited as representatives of their families. The quantitative component comprised Pearson’s product-moment correlation coefficients, analyses of variance and a best-subset regression analysis to determine resilience qualities that were best able to predict the dependent variable (the family’s level of adaptation). The qualitative data were analysed according to thematic analyses to identify family resilience qualities. The qualitative and quantitative results were combined to give a more in-depth understanding of the resilience qualities that the participants felt their families used to adapt to their child’s disclosure of his/her same-sex sexual orientation. The following family resilience qualities were the combined results as identified from the qualitative and quantitative components, as well as the literature review: family hardiness; community support; social support from family, relatives and friends; positive communication; ability to redefine a stressor; ability to minimise reactivity; regular communication between parents and children; time since disclosure and time spent together (through events, quiet time and family time); and whether the child is employed as opposed to still studying. In addition, the following qualities were also identified (by the qualitative component and previous research): positive attributes that were identified within the child, parents and the family; the use of media resources (literature, films, television); and exposure to same sex-attracted individuals and exposure to same-sex attraction as a topic of conversation. The study therefore provides the child’s perspectives of potential resilience qualities (all of the above-mentioned qualities) that families can implement when a child discloses his/her same-sex sexual orientation. The results can also be used by clinicians to help families that face the crisis of having a same sex-attracted child. As an exploratory study, this study also identified several recommendations for future, related studies on family resilience and the event of same-sex sexual orientation disclosure.