Papers by Marykate Oakley
Journal of GLBT Family Studies, 2016
Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 2016
Limited research exists about the unique experiences and possible marginalization of children wit... more Limited research exists about the unique experiences and possible marginalization of children with sexual minority parents. From a larger longitudinal project of diverse adoptive families, we examined cross-sectional data using mixed methods from interviews with 49 adopted children (M age = 8 years; 47 % female) in 27 two-father and 22 two-mother families. Using thematic analysis, we coded themes of awareness of difference, microaggres-sions, and resilience (i.e., coping and positive family con-ceptualizations). Children experienced ''feeling different'' and microaggressions from peers, but generally at a low to medium intensity and with neutral (not negative) emotion. More instances of resilience and positive family concep-tualizations were reported than microaggressions or feelings of difference, suggesting that children develop positive perceptions of their family and navigate experiences of difference with resilience. Filling important gaps in the literature, we discuss implications of our results for practice and policy.
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Papers by Marykate Oakley