Parent Attachment, Relationship Quality, and Gender Influence of Adults With Parents With Past Same-Sex Relationships

Abstract

Attachment scholars have focused on attachment outcomes between children and their parents. However, there is a dearth of studies examining the association between attachment and later romantic relationships for those who have had a parent in a same-sex relationship during childhood. To address this gap, we used a sample from the New Family Structures Study. The sample for this study comprised 248 adults, of which, 175 participants reported their mother having had a same-sex romantic relationship and 73 participants reported their father having had a same-sex romantic relationship. Regression analysis indicated that participants with mothers who have had same-sex relationships report higher attachment outcomes. Further, higher attachment outcomes predicted higher romantic relationship quality. Gender of the participants and their parents also statistically moderated romantic relationship quality and family-of-origin attachment for females with mothers who have had same-sex relationships. Limitations and future directions are discussed.