Perceptions of Gay and Lesbian Stepfamilies

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore young adults' perceptions of stepfamilies headed by gay and lesbian couples. Undergraduate students read a brief vignette describing one of four family units (gay stepfamily, lesbian stepfamily, heterosexual stepfamily, or biological family). After reading the vignette, students rated their perceptions of the family unit using the First Impressions Questionnaire (FIQ; Bryan, Coleman, Ganong, & Bryan, 1986), which consists of six subscales: Social Evaluation, Potency, Satisfaction/Security, Personal Character, Activity, and Stability. The results revealed that students perceived the biological family to be less active than the gay, lesbian, and heterosexual stepfamilies. In addition, the biological family was rated as more stable than the heterosexual stepfamily, and the lesbian stepfamily was rated as being more satisfying/secure than the heterosexual stepfamily.

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