Factors to Explore in Doing Child Custody Evaluations Involving Gay and Lesbian Parents

Raley, Jesse A.

doi:10.1080/15379418.2010.512233

Cited by 6 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Recent studies identified specific, unmet and unique needs for LGBTQ individuals in residential substance abuse treatment (Cochran & Cauce, 2006;Cullen, Courbasson, Quintero, Myslik, & Guimond, 2010) as well as regarding employment discrimination (Gates, 2010) and gerontological social work (Almack, Seymour, & Bellamy, 2010;Bell, Bern-Klug, Kramer, & Saunders, 2010;Kuyper & Fokkema, 2010;Stein, Beckerman & Sherman, 2010). Further examples of this trend include the need to incorporate and address unique issues arising in child custody evaluations when one or more parents are lesbians or gay men (Raley, 2010), the need for appropriate provision of health care services to LGBTQ adolescents (Kitts, 2010), and the need to ensure high-quality treatment for lesbians who were victims of intimate partner violence (Oswald, Fonseca, & Hardesty, 2010).…”

Section: Tentative Implications For Social Work Educationmentioning

confidence: 94%

Social Work Educators’ Attitudes Toward Gay Men and Lesbians: A National Assessment

Einbinder

Fiechter

Sheridan

et al. 2012

Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services

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A sample of 927 U.S. social work educators expressed limited negative attitudes toward lesbians and slightly more negative attitudes toward gay men in this cross-sectional, national study using standardized survey instruments with proven psychometric properties. Faculty most likely to express negative attitudes toward lesbians included those employed at a religiously affiliated university (whether sectarian or non-sectarian), identifying as African-American and male, working in an urban or suburban setting (rather than a rural one), and having probationary tenure-track status. These individual and institutional characteristics accounted for 7.8% of the variance in social work educators' negative attitudes toward lesbians. Faculty most likely to express negative attitudes toward gay men included those identifying as African-American, employed at a religiously affiliated university, identifying as heterosexual and male. These variables explained 12.4% of the variance in social work educators' negative attitudes toward gay men. Implications for social work education are addressed and suggestions generated regarding how social work educators and their educational programs can ensure that they are preparing competent, unbiased practitioners who can advance social justice and reduce oppression among gay and lesbian clients.

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Section: Tentative Implications For Social Work Educationmentioning

confidence: 94%

Social Work Educators’ Attitudes Toward Gay Men and Lesbians: A National Assessment

Einbinder

Fiechter

Sheridan

et al. 2012

Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Finally, the evidence has suggested that children of gay and lesbian parents are generally as well-adjusted as children of heterosexual parents (Biblarz & Savci, 2010;Patterson, 2005;Raley, 2010). They report positive peer relationships (Golombok et al, 1983;Golombok et al, 1997;Green, 1978;Green et al, 1986;Patterson, 1994), and may even experience a greater sense of connection to school peers than do children of heterosexual parents (Wainright & Patterson, 2006).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lesbian and gay parents and determination of child custody: The changing legal landscape and implications for policy and practice.

Haney‐Caron¹,

Heilbrun²

2014

Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity

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Child custody assessments are among the most complex kinds of psychological evaluations conducted for the courts. There are standards for best practice associated with such evaluations, but relatively little has been written about how such standards apply to custody evaluations involving lesbian and gay parents. This article describes the current legal context surrounding custody determinations involving 1 lesbian or gay parent and 1 heterosexual parent, and those in which a former same-sex couple has sought a custody determination of children they have coparented. In addition to reviewing the relevant law on how sexual orientation can affect custody and how that law has changed over time, the article has briefly summarized key points from the empirical research evidence on major questions and concerns associated with lesbian and gay parents that arise in custody decision-making: parenting ability, impact on children's sexual orientations, social stigma confronting children, and children's general adjustment. The research to date, although limited in some respects, has provided no evidence that lesbian and gay parents differ from heterosexual parents in these areas. Finally, we have highlighted implications for policy and for forensic practice related to custody determinations involving a lesbian or gay parent and forensic psychological evaluations in custody cases. Because there is very little empirical research and few custody cases specifically focused on bisexual parents, this article does not address custody cases involving such parents.

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“…Goldberg (2010, p. 169) has also acknowledged a concern with self-presentation bias by parents, as well as has Raley (2010, p. 188). Gartrell et al.…”

Section: Looking Deeper Into the Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review and Critique of Research on Same-Sex Parenting and Adoption

Schumm

2016

Psychol Rep

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Are the outcomes for children of gay, lesbian, or bisexual parents in general the same as those for heterosexual parents? That controversial question is discussed here in a detailed review of the social science literature in three parts: (1) stability of same-sex parental relationships, (2) child outcomes, and (3) child outcomes in same-sex adoption. Relationship instability appears to be higher among gay and lesbian parent couples and may be a key mediating factor influencing outcomes for children. With respect to part 2, while parental self-reports usually present few significant differences, social desirability or self-presentation bias may be a confounding factor. While some researchers have tended to conclude that there are no differences whatsoever in terms of child outcomes as a function of parental sexual orientation, such conclusions appear premature in the light of more recent data in which some different outcomes have been observed in a few studies. Studies conducted within the past 10 years that compared child outcomes for children of same-sex and heterosexual adoptive parents were reviewed. Numerous methodological limitations were identified that make it very difficult to make an accurate assessment of the effect of parental sexual orientation across adoptive families. Because of sampling limitations, we still know very little about family functioning among same-sex adoptive families with low or moderate incomes, those with several children, or those with older children, including adolescents or how family functioning may change over time. There remains a need for high-quality research on same-sex families, especially families with gay fathers and with lower income.

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Factors to Explore in Doing Child Custody Evaluations Involving Gay and Lesbian Parents

Cited by 6 publications

References 16 publications

Social Work Educators’ Attitudes Toward Gay Men and Lesbians: A National Assessment

Social Work Educators’ Attitudes Toward Gay Men and Lesbians: A National Assessment

Lesbian and gay parents and determination of child custody: The changing legal landscape and implications for policy and practice.

A Review and Critique of Research on Same-Sex Parenting and Adoption

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