In-Depth Family Interviews, Surveys and Case Studies

The Family Acceptance Project uses a range of research methods including in-depth individual interviews with LGBT adolescents and their families; surveys; and case studies to understand how family reactions to an LGBT young person affect their health, mental health and well-being.
 
The first part of our project includes in-depth individual interviews with LGBT adolescents and their families throughout California. We reached out to youth from a wide range of backgrounds, experiences and geographic areas. This includes youth from accepting, ambivalent and rejecting families throughout California, including youth living in gated, middle-class, low income, farming and rural communities, immigrant families, youth in foster care, and adjudicated and homeless youth and their families. We reached youth and their families through schools, mainstream and LGBT youth service organizations, youth service and community providers, peer recruiters, foster care and residential programs.

Our interviews focused on family history and child development, sexual and gender identity, religious beliefs and practices, sexual orientation, culture and ethnicity, coming out, family response and adaptation over time, school-based experiences and victimization, resiliency and strength, sources of support, future goals and aspirations.

We found that families have a range of reactions to their children’s LGBT identity and express their reactions through behaviors that affect their children’s health and mental health outcomes. Our research linked family responses with risk and protective factors for key concerns including sexual health, HIV infection, substance use, mental health and wellness. And we began to assess the availability of services for families of LGBT youth to help develop research-based resources and interventions to educate families and increase family support for their LGBT children.
 
We are using our findings to develop family-education materials in several languages, working with diverse families with LGBT children, adolescents and young adults. We are developing provider risk-resiliency assessment materials and intervention strategies, and resources to increase providers’ cultural competency. And we are collaborating with community agencies to help us develop effective assessment and intervention materials that can be used to help LGBT children, youth and families in a wide range of settings. Our findings will be used to inform policy and to improve the way that systems of care address the needs of LGBT adolescents.