LGBTQ Caregiver Acceptance Scale (LCAS): Development and validation with a Latinx sample.

Abstract

Caregiver acceptance and rejection is crucial to the well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people. Research shows that caregivers are affected by having an LGBTQ child/family member, yet studies have neglected to capture the experiences of Latinx caregivers. We present the development and initial validation of the LGBTQ Caregiver Acceptance Scale (LCAS) with a Latinx sample. We developed items based on a review of the literature, expert feedback (N = 9), and community member feedback (N = 9; Study 1). We then assessed the factor structure through exploratory factor analysis (EFA) in a sample of 215 Latinx caregivers of LGBTQ people (Study 2). The final LCAS consists of 40 items and six dimensions of Latinx caregivers’ acceptance and rejection of their LGBTQ child/family member: Outness, Caregiver Acceptance, Concealment, Respeto, Attitudes Toward Queer Parenting, and Supportive Actions. Convergent and divergent validity was performed to compare the LCAS to other constructs of caregiver acceptance and rejection, family conflict and cohesion, and attitudes toward the LGBTQ community. As hypothesized, all subscale scores and total score were found to be significantly correlated with the constructs used for comparison. This validated measure of LGBTQ-specific acceptance and rejection among caregivers provides a rich opportunity to understand family processes and help inform evidence-based interventions. We provide implications for clinicians working with Latinx caregivers of LGBTQ youth.

Development and validation of the Trans- and Nonbinary-Affirming Parental Practices (TAPP) measure.

“…Although our sample demographics were not representative of the U.S. population, they were similar to other research studies with PCs of TNB youth (see Abreu et al, 2019; Warner et al, 2021). More research is needed on parental support among BIPOC PCs and fathers and may require different recruitment methods such as snowball sampling, quota sampling, collaboration with community partners, and recruitment from sites that are not LGBTQ-oriented (Abreu et al, 2023).…”

“…Having higher levels of education and income may have impacted participant responses to the Resources subscale (e.g., seeking advice from a trans-affirming therapist and trans-affirming medical provider) as PCs from lower income backgrounds may not have the ability to seek out these resources due to financial constraints. Further, PCs who are people of color or fathers may have culturally specific ways of demonstrating support such as indirect ways of communicating support (e.g., inviting over a TNB friend; Abreu et al, 2023) and therefore may respond to scale items differently than our sample. Therefore, future research should validate the scale with groups not represented by this sample, including BIPOC, men, and those with lower levels of education and income and may need to make adaptations to make the scale more generalizable.…”

“…The current literature about the relationship between transgender and nonbinary (TNB) youth and their parents or caregivers (PCs) does not provide a definite, concrete definition of who is a PC and what behaviors constitute PC support toward one’s TNB child (see review in Abreu et al, 2023). For the purpose of this study, we refer to PCs as any person identified as a parent or caregiver (biological, adoptive, or otherwise) who cares for a TNB youth.…”