Year of Award

2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Degree Name

Clinical Psychology

Department or School/College

Department of Psychology

Committee Chair

Bryan Cochran

Commitee Members

Greg Machek, Rachel Severson, Rachel Williamson, Kirsten Murray

Keywords

Affirmative Parenting, LGBTQ Youth, Qualitative Research

Publisher

University of Montana

Abstract

Studies consistently demonstrate that sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth experience mental health disparities when compared to their heterosexual, cisgender peers due to identity-based stressors (Meyer, 2003). Given the startling rates at which this population experiences mental health challenges, there has been an ever-increasing focus on prevention and intervention efforts to promote resilience and well-being among SGM youth. Over the past several decades, scholars studying resilience in development have identified the importance of effective caregiving in buffering against adversity. However, little is known about the specific practices that caregivers of SGM youth might employ to strengthen their relationships and to provide protection in the context of discrimination. As such, the present study employed interpretative phenomenological analysis with caregivers of SGM youth to understand the experiences and needs of caregivers of SGM youth. Results are organized into six superordinate themes that capture this experience: 1) Secondary Minority Stress, 2) Emotional Processes and Tensions, 3) Navigating Oppression and Discrimination, 4) Allies, Accomplices, and Supports, 5) Affirmative Relational Parenting Practices, and 6) Regrounding, Reconstructing, and Celebrating. These superordinate themes capture the multiple intrapersonal, relational, and systemic concerns caregivers navigate as they support and affirm their SGM child. Specifically, participants reported experiencing unique, identity-based stressors on the basis of their child’s SGM identity that contribute to emotional turmoil and distress. As caregivers continually face these stressors, they described multiple efforts to mitigate the effects of living in a heterosexist and transphobic social contexts in order to address their own biases and to protect their children. Caregivers highlighted the importance of allyship and support through this process, and endorsed multiple affirmative relational parenting practices they employ directly with their children in order to be as protective as possible. Finally, participants emphasized changes in their understanding of self through this process, the profound meaning and purpose they have derived from this experience, and the importance of cultivating and appreciating moments of queer joy as an antidote to the effects of discrimination and stigma. In the context of these themes, implications for psychologists working with SGM youth and their families are discussed.

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© Copyright 2024 Kelly Marie Davis