Parental Socialization of LGBTQ Young People with Non-Accepting Parents: An Application and Extension of the Racial-Ethnic Socialization Framework

LGBTQ young people are at greater risk of developing mental health problems and report higher rates of depression and suicidality than their cisgender/heterosexual peers. Parent-child relationships play a central role in LGBTQ young people’s development and behavioral health. The childrearing practices parents use – also known as parental socialization – might offer a potential route to reducing negative health outcomes among LGBTQ young people. Drawing from the constructs of the racial-ethnic socialization framework, the current study explored the parental socialization experiences of LGBTQ young people with non-accepting, cisgender/heterosexual parents in the Southeast U.S. Results provide one of the first descriptions of parent socialization experiences among LGBTQ young people with non-accepting parents, and confirm the adaptability of the racial-ethnic socialization framework to LGBTQ-specific experiences. Findings show that while some themes, such as cultural socialization, needed little adaptation, others, such as promotion of mistrust, require greater modification to better fit LGBTQ-specific experiences. By developing an LGBTQ-specific parental socialization framework for LGBTQ youth with non-accepting parents, this research may offer valuable insight for future research and interventions that aim to strengthen parent-child relationships and reduce disparities in health outcomes between LGBTQ young people and their cisgender/heterosexual peers.