ACHESS – The Australian study of child health in same-sex families: background research, design and methodology

BMC Public Health

Elise Davis³  Jennifer Power²  Ruth McNair¹  Elizabeth Waters³  Simon Robert Crouch³ 

[1] The Department of General Practice and Northwest Academic Centre, The University of Melbourne, 200 Berkeley St, Carlton, VIC, 3053, Australia;The Bouverie Centre, La Trobe University, 8 Gardiner St, Brunswick, VIC, 3056, Australia;The McCaughey Centre, Melbourne School of Population Health, The University of Melbourne, Level 5, 207 Bouverie St, Carlton, VIC, 3053, Australia

关键词: Sexual orientation;    Homosexuality;    Same-sex parents;    Lesbian parents;    Gay parents;    Child health;   

Others  :  1163304
DOI  :  10.1186/1471-2458-12-646

 received in 2012-08-09, accepted in 2012-08-09,  发布年份 2012

【 摘 要 】

Background

There are an increasing number of children in Australia growing up with same-sex attracted parents. Although children from same-sex parent families do in general perform well on many psychosocial measures recent research is beginning to consider some small but significant differences when these children are compared with children from other family backgrounds. In particular studies suggest that there is an association between the stigma that same-sex parent families experience and child wellbeing. Research to date lacks a holistic view with the complete physical, mental and social wellbeing of children not yet addressed. In addition, most studies have focused only on families with lesbian parents and have studied only small numbers of children.

Methods/design

The Australian Study of Child Health in Same-Sex Families (ACHESS) is a national study that aims to determine the complete physical, mental and social wellbeing of Australian children under the age 18 years with at least one parent who self identifies as being same-sex attracted. There will be a particular focus on the impact that stigma and discrimination has on these families. Parent and child surveys will be used to collect data and will be available both online and in paper form. Measures have been chosen whenever possible that have sound conceptual underpinnings, robust psychometric properties and Australian normative data, and include the Child Health Questionnaire (CHQ), the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10).

Discussion

ACHESS aims to be the largest study of its kind and will for the first time produce a detailed quantitative analysis of Australian children with same-sex attracted parents. By inviting participants to take part in further research it will also establish a valuable cohort of children, and their families, to launch future waves of research that will help us better understand the health and wellbeing of children with same-sex attracted parents.

【 授权许可】

   
2012 Crouch et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 参考文献 】

• [1]Same-sex Couple Families. http://abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/2071.0main+features852012-2013 webcite
• [2]Trewin D: 2005 Year Book Australia, Volume 87. Australian Bureau of Statistics, Canberra; 2005.
• [3]Leonard W, Pitts M, Mitchell A, Lyons A, Smith A, Patel S, Couch M, Barrett A: Private Lives 2: The second national survey of the health and wellbeing of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) Australians. The Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health & Society, La Trobe University, Melbourne; 2012.
• [4]Tuazon-McCheyne J: Two dads: Gay male parenting and its politicisation - a cooperative inquiry action research study. Aust N Z J Fam Ther 2010, 31(4 SPECIAL ISSUE):311-323.
• [5]Hatzenbuehler ML, McLaughlin KA, Keyes KM, Hasin DS: The impact of institutional discrimination on psychiatric disorders in lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations: a prospective study. Am J Public Health 2010, 100(3):452-459.
• [6]Puckett JA, Horne SG, Levitt HM, Reeves T: Out in the country: rural sexual minority mothers. J Lesbian Stud 2011, 15(2):176-186.
• [7]Bos HMW, Gartrell NK, van Balen F, Peyser H, Sandfort TGM: Children in Planned Lesbian Families: A Cross-Cultural Comparison Between the United States and the Netherlands. Am J Orthopsychiatry 2008, 78(2):211-219.
• [8]Bos H, van Balen F: Children of the new reproductive technologies: Social and genetic parenthood. Patient Educ Counsel 2010, 81(3):429-435.
• [9]Bos HMW, Van Balen F, Van Den Boom DC: Lesbian families and family functioning: An overview. Patient Educ Counsel 2005, 59(3):263-275.
• [10]Perrin EC, Hagan JF Jr, Coleman WL, Foy JM, Goldson E, Howard BJ, Navarro A, Tanner JL, Tolmas HC: Technical report: Coparent or second-parent adoption by same-sex parents. Pediatrics 2002, 109(2 I):341-344.
• [11]Tasker F: Children in lesbian-led families: A review. Clin Child Psychol Psychiatr 1999, 4(2):153-166.
• [12]Stacey J, Biblarz T: (How) does the sexual orientation of parents matter? Am Sociol Rev 2001, 66(2):159-183.
• [13]Bailey JM, Bobrow D, Wolfe M, Mikach S: Sexual Orientation of Adult Sons of Gay Fathers. Dev Psychol 1995, 31(1):124-129.
• [14]Javaid GA: The children of homosexual and heterosexual single mothers. Child Psychiatr Hum Dev 1993, 23(4):235-248.
• [15]Anderssen N, Amlie C, Ytter EA: Outcomes for children with lesbian or gay parents. A review of studies from 1978 to 2000. Scand J Psychol 2002, 43(4):335-351.
• [16]Cameron P: Homosexual parents: Testing "common sense" - A literature review emphasizing the Golombok and tasker longitudinal study of lesbians' children. Psychol Rep 1999, 85(1):282-322.
• [17]Fitzgerald B: Children of lesbian and gay parents: A review of the literature. Marriage Fam Rev 1999, 29(1):57-75.
• [18]James WH: The sexual orientation of men who were brought up in gay or lesbian households. J Biosoc Sci 2004, 36(3):371-374.
• [19]Lambert S: Gay and lesbian families: What we know and where to go from here. Fam J 2005, 13(1):43-51.
• [20]Brewaeys A, Ponjaert I, Van Hall EV, Golombok S: Donor insemination: Child development and family functioning in lesbian mother families. Hum Reprod 1997, 12(6):1349-1359.
• [21]Istar Lev A: How queer! - The development of gender identity and sexual orientation in LGBTQ-headed families. Fam Process 2010, 49(3):268-290.
• [22]Kuvalanka KA, Teper B, Morrison OA: COLAGE: Providing community, education, leadership, and advocacy by and for children of GLBT parents. J GLBT Fam Stud 2006, 2(3–4):71-92.
• [23]Clarke V, Kitzinger C, Potter J: 'Kids are just cruel anyway': Lesbian and gay parents' talk about homophobic bullying. Br J Soc Psychol 2004, 43(4):531-550.
• [24]Fairtlough A: Growing up with a lesbian or gay parent: Young people's perspectives. Health Soc Care Community 2008, 16(5):521-528.
• [25]Heineman TV: A boy and two mothers: New variations on an old theme or a new story of triangulation? Beginning thoughts on the psychosexual development of children in nontraditional families. Psychoanal Psychol 2004, 21(1):99-115.
• [26]Pawelski JG, Perrin EC, Foy JM, Allen CE, Crawford JE, Del Monte M, Kaufman M, Klein JD, Smithi K, Springer S, et al.: The effects of marriage, civil union, and domestic partnership laws on the health and well-being of children. Pediatrics 2006, 118(1):349-364.
• [27]Rimalower L, Caty C: The mamas and the papas: The invisible diversity of families with same-sex parents in the United States. Sex Educ 2009, 9(1):17-32.
• [28]Bos H, Gartrell N: Adolescents of the USA National Longitudinal Lesbian Family Study: Can Family Characteristics Counteract the Negative Effects of Stigmatization? Fam Process 2010, 49(4):559-572.
• [29]Bos HMW, van Balen F, van den Boom DC, Sandfort TGM: Minority stress, experience of parenthood and child adjustment in lesbian families. J Reprod Infant Psychol 2004, 22(4):291-304.
• [30]Gershon TD, Tschann JM, Jemerin JM: Stigmatization, self-esteem, and coping among the adolescent children of lesbian mothers. J Adolesc Health 1999, 24(6):437-445.
• [31]Ray V, Gregory R: School experiences of the children of lesbian and gay parents. Famiy Matters 2001, 59:7.
• [32]Tasker F, Golombok S: Adults raised as children in lesbian families. Am J Orthopsychiatry 1995, 65(2):203-215.
• [33]Dundas S, Kaufman M: The Toronto lesbian family study. J Homosex 2000, 40(2):65-79.
• [34]Rivers I, Poteat VP, Noret N: Victimization, Social Support, and Psychosocial Functioning Among Children of Same-Sex and Opposite-Sex Couples in the United Kingdom. Dev Psychol 2008, 44(1):127-134.
• [35]Vanfraussen K, Ponjaert-Kristoffersen I, Brewaeys A: What does it mean for youngsters to grow up in a lesbian family created by means of donor insemination? J Reprod Infant Psychol 2002, 20(4):237-252.
• [36]Queensland Legislative Assembly: Record of Proceedings 21 June 2012. Parliament of Queensland; 2012.
• [37]Bos HMW, Gartrell NK: Adolescents of the US National Longitudinal Lesbian Family Study: The impact of having a known or an unknown donor on the stability of psychological adjustment. Hum Reprod 2011, 26(3):630-637.
• [38]McNair R, Brown R, Perlesz A, Lindsay J, De Vaus D, Pitts M: Lesbian parents negotiating the health care system in Australia. Health Care Women Int 2008, 29(2):91-114.
• [39]Schmied V, Donovan J, Kruske S, Kemp L, Homer C, Fowler C: Commonalities and challenges: a review of Australian state and territory maternity and child health policies. Contemp Nurse 2011, 40(1):106-117.
• [40]Gartrell N, Rodas C, Deck A, Peyser H, Banks A: The National Lesbian Family Study: 4. Interviews with the 10-year-old children. Am J Orthopsychiatry 2005, 75(4):518-524.
• [41]Brewaeys A, Van Hall EV: Lesbian motherhood: The impact on child development and family functioning. J Psychosom Obstet Gynaecol 1997, 18(1):1-16.
• [42]Chan RW, Brooks RC, Raboy B, Patterson CJ: Division of Labor among Lesbian and Heterosexual Parents: Associations with Children's Adjustment. J Fam Psychol 1998, 12(3):402-419.
• [43]Flaks DK, Ficher I, Masterpasqua F, Joseph G: Lesbians Choosing Motherhood: A Comparative Study of Lesbian and Heterosexual Parents and Their Children. Dev Psychol 1995, 31(1):105-114.
• [44]Gartrell N, Bos H: US national longitudinal lesbian family study: Psychological adjustment of 17-year-old adolescents. Pediatrics 2010, 126(1):28-36.
• [45]Golombok S, Badger S: Children raised in mother-headed families from infancy: A follow-up of children of lesbian and single heterosexual mothers, at early adulthood. Hum Reprod 2010, 25(1):150-157.
• [46]Golombok S, Tasker F, Murray C: Children raised in fatherless families from infancy: Family relationships and the socioemotional development of children of lesbian and single heterosexual mothers. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 1997, 38(7):783-791.
• [47]Biblarz TJ, Stacey J: How does the gender of parents matter? J Marriage Fam 2010, 72(1):3-22.
• [48]Cameron P: Gay fathers' effects on children: a review. Psychol Rep 2009, 104(2):649-659.
• [49]Bos HMW: Planned gay father families in kinship arrangements. Aust N Z J Fam Ther 2010, 31(4 SPECIAL ISSUE):356-371.
• [50]Erich S, Leung P, Kindle P: A comparative analysis of adoptive family functioning with gay, lesbian and heterosexual parents and their children. J GLBT Fam Stud 2005, 1(4):43-60.
• [51]Patterson CJ: Families of the Lesbian Baby Boom: Parents' Division of Labor and Children's Adjustment. Dev Psychol 1995, 31(1):115-123.
• [52]Wainright JL, Patterson CJ: Delinquency, victimization, and substance use among adolescents with female same-sex parents. J Fam Psychol 2006, 20(3):526-530.
• [53]Wainright JL, Patterson CJ: Peer Relations Among Adolescents With Female Same-Sex Parents. Dev Psychol 2008, 44(1):117-126.
• [54]Wainright JL, Russell ST, Patterson CJ: Psychosocial adjustment, school outcomes, and romantic relationships of adolescents with same-sex parents. Child Dev 2004, 75(6):1886-1898.
• [55]Rosenfeld MJ: Nontraditional families and childhood progress through school. Demography 2010, 47(3):755-775.
• [56]Tasker F: Lesbian mothers, gay fathers, and their children: A review. J Dev Behav Pediatr 2005, 26(3):224-240.
• [57]Farr RH, Forssell SL, Patterson CJ: Parenting and child development in adoptive families: Does parental sexual orientation matter? Appl Dev Sci 2010, 14(3):164-178.
• [58]Vogels AG, Crone MR, Hoekstra F, Reijneveld SA: Comparing three short questionnaires to detect psychosocial dysfunction among primary school children: a randomized method. BMC Publ Health 2009, 9:489. BioMed Central Full Text
• [59]Power JJ, Perlesz A, Schofield MJ, Pitts MK, Brown R, McNair R, Barrett A, Bickerdike A: Understanding resilience in same-sex parented families: the work, love, play study. BMC Publ Health 2010, 10:115. BioMed Central Full Text
• [60]Perlesz A, McNair R: Lesbian parenting: insider's voices. Aust N Z J Fam Ther 2004, 25(2):129-140.
• [61]Davis E, Waters E, Mackinnon A, Reddihough D, Graham HK, Mehmet-Radji O, Boyd R: Paediatric quality of life instruments: a review of the impact of the conceptual framework on outcomes. Dev Med Child Neurol 2006, 48(4):311-318.
• [62]Landgraf JM, Abetz L, Ware JA: The CHQ User's Manual. Firstth edition. Boston, MA: The Health Institute, New England Medical Center; 1996.
• [63]Riley AW, Forrest CB, Starfield B, Green B, Kang M, Ensminger M: Reliability and validity of the adolescent health profile-types. Med care 1998, 36(8):1237-1248.
• [64]Riley AW, Green BF, Forrest CB, Starfield B, Kang M, Ensminger ME: A taxonomy of adolescent health: development of the adolescent health profile-types. Med care 1998, 36(8):1228-1236.
• [65]Waters E, Salmon L, Wake M: The parent-form Child Health Questionnaire in Australia: comparison of reliability, validity, structure, and norms. J Pediatr Psychol 2000, 25(6):381-391.
• [66]Waters E, Salmon L, Wake M, Hesketh K, Wright M: The Child Health Questionnaire in Australia: reliability, validity and population means. Aust N Z J Publ Health 2000, 24(2):207-210.
• [67]Waters EB, Salmon LA, Wake M, Wright M, Hesketh KD: The health and well-being of adolescents: a school-based population study of the self-report Child Health Questionnaire. J Adolesc Health Offic Publ Soc Adolesc Med 2001, 29(2):140-149.
• [68]Raat H, Landgraf JM, Oostenbrink R, Moll HA, Essink-Bot ML: Reliability and validity of the Infant and Toddler Quality of Life Questionnaire (ITQOL) in a general population and respiratory disease sample. Qual Life Res 2007, 16(3):445-460.
• [69]Hawes DJ, Dadds MR: Australian data and psychometric properties of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Aust N Z J Psychiatry 2004, 38(8):644-651.
• [70]Goodman R, Scott S: Comparing the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and the Child Behavior Checklist: is small beautiful? J Abnorm Child Psychol 1999, 27(1):17-24.
• [71]Mellor D: Furthering the use of the strengths and difficulties questionnaire: reliability with younger child respondents. Psychol Assess 2004, 16(4):396-401.
• [72]Bos HMW, van Balen F, van den Boom DC: Experience of parenthood, couple relationship, social support, and child-rearing goals in planned lesbian mother families. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2004, 45(4):755-764.
• [73]Bos HMW, van Balen F: Children in planned lesbian families: Stigmatisation, psychological adjustment and protective factors. Cult Health Sex 2008, 10(3):221-236.
• [74]Bos H, Van Balen F, Van Den Boom D, Sandfort TG: Minority stress, experience of parenthood and child adjustment in lesbian families. J Reprod Infant Psychol 2004, 22(4):291-304.
• [75]Gray M, Smart D: Growing up in Australia: the longitudinal study of Australian children is now walking and talking. Family Matters 2008, 79:5-13.
• [76]Slade T, Grove R, Burgess P: Kessler Psychological Distress Scale: normative data from the 2007 Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing. Aust N Z J Psychiatry 2011, 45(4):308-316.
• [77]Davis E, Waters E, Wake M, Goldfeld S, Williams J, Mehmet-Radji O, Oberklaid F: Population health and wellbeing: identifying priority areas for Victorian children. Aust New Zeal Health Pol 2005, 2:16. BioMed Central Full Text