Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, Vol 11(1), Mar 2024, 1-16; doi:10.1037/sgd0000589
Parental acceptance is a robust protective mechanism against poor mental health in sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth. Yet, little work has examined how parent-focused interventions could increase parental support of SGM youth while simultaneously reducing parental rejection. To inform parenting intervention content and strategies for parental engagement in such interventions, this mixed-methods study examined how non-SGM parents of SGM youth (N = 205) qualitatively described their relationship with their SGM child and quantitatively rated their interest, willingness, and preferences regarding receiving interventions to increase their support for their SGM child. Using an open-ended question in which parents described their relationship with their child, we examined how both the content (i.e., themes) and the structure (i.e., word usage) of responses differed among parent subgroups varying in their reactions to their child’s SGM identity (i.e., positive/affirming, mixed, negative). Next, we quantified parents’ interest, willingness, and preferences in parenting interventions stratified by parent subgroups. Results identified strong thematic and structural differences between parent subgroups in how they described the parent–child relationship. Intervention interest, willingness, and preferences also differed between parent subgroups. For example, parents who responded negatively to their child’s SGM identity expressed greater interest in in-person interventions lasting four or more sessions, while parents with mixed or positive responses indicated a preference for an online, self-paced video intervention format. These findings suggest that interventions to enhance parental support of their SGM children might be most successful when tailored, in terms of content, format, and modality, to their degree of support for their SGM child. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)