Family of origin, not chosen family, predicts psychological health in a LGBTQ+ sample.

Abstract

WhenLGBTQþ people come out they often experience turbulence in their families of origin that impacts their access to psychosocial resources. In general, families of origin are a source of support and resilience, but this may not always be the case for LGBTQþ people. When LGBTQþ people are unable to rely on their families of origin, researchers posit that chosen families may be created by LGBTQþ people as a replacement for the support (e.g., advice, guidance, resources) they would otherwise receive from their families of origin. To test whether or not chosen families serve a similar role in mental health as families of origin, a study was conducted with LGBTQþ identified people (N = 175) to investigate associations between perceived support from chosen family, perceived support from family of origin, resilience, and depression in LGBTQþ adults. A hierarchical linear regression was run to determine whether increases in perceived chosen family predicted decreases in depression after controlling for resilience and family of origin support. In order to provide more insight into chosen family dynamics, a social network analysis was also conducted. Results indicated that family of origin support was the only significant predictor of depression levels in the final model. The social network analysis revealed that, within their chosen families, participants feel the most support from their friends. Findings suggest that the contribution of biological family support to mental health outcomes in LGBTQþ people may outweigh support from chosen family. Additional findings and implications for mental health care are discussed. Public Significance StatementThis study provides a deeper understanding of the relational dynamics within LGBTQþ family support systems.LGBTQþ people reported experiencing more support from their chosen families than from their families of origin and they indicated that they felt closer to their chosen families. However, LGBTQþ participants with higher levels of support from their families of origin were more likely to report lower depression levels. These results indicate that chosen family support is important, but that it may not play the same role in the lives of LGBTQþ people as does family of origin.

Recreating diasporic identity and community: Examination of transgender and nonbinary latinx healing from family rejection.

“…Furthermore, the process of healing theorized in this article provides valuable information regarding the lingering effect of family rejection due to repeated stigmatization, which may explain why support from families of origin tends to have a more influential impact on mental health than that of chosen family (Milton & Knuston, 2021; Puckett et al, 2019). Family rejection leads to psychological distress and related long-term processes of healing due to the ongoing societal stigma within an individual’s environment.…”

“…For trans youth of color, in particular, connecting to a larger community and self-defining racial/ethnic and gender identities builds resilience against racism and antitrans violence (Singh, 2013). Despite chosen family and supportive community providing benefits for the health of trans individuals, support from family of origin continuously either outweighs the support from chosen families (Milton & Knuston, 2021) or shows the strongest correlations with mental health outcomes (Puckett et al, 2019). However, much less is known about how Latinx transgender individuals experience rejection from family of origin and how these experiences may be rooted in aspects of diasporic identity and community support.…”

Social Support Networks of Individuals with Depressive Disorders: A Cross-sectional Survey in Former Psychiatric Inpatients in Germany

“…In addition, the size of the network was significantly associated with having a score in the depressed category, although the inquiry was limited to nine contact persons, likely due to researchpragmatic reasons. Milton and Knutson (2021) found for LGBTQ + people, that getting support only by family of origin predicts depression levels significantly while most support is received from friends. Berkman et al (2000) presented an integrated theoretical model of the interaction between social network structures and social support with regard to health.…”

Drag performance and health: Predicting depression and resilience.

“…When LGBTQ+ people lack support from their families of origin, they may outsource family support to chosen families or to groups of friends and loved ones who act as a surrogate family (Dewaele et al, 2011). Researchers have identified positive associations between both family of origin support and chosen family support and resilience (Milton & Knutson, in press). Researchers have yet to demonstrate whether drag performers seek chosen family support to make up for any deficiencies in family of origin support.…”

“…Scholars suggest that LGBTQ+ people experience rejection from their families of origin and that they may seek replacement families often referred to as chosen families (Dewaele et al, 2011). Emerging research suggests that chosen families are not direct replacements for families of origin and that estrangement from family of origin is a stronger predictor of depression (Milton & Knutson, in press). Based on current research of LGBTQ+ people and family support, drag performers with lower levels of family support would be expected to report higher levels of distress (see Ryan et al, 2010).…”