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Supportive co-parenting increased positive child behavior, despite parents' sexual orientation

Supportive co-parenting, whether by heterosexual, gay or lesbian couples, is associated with better child adjustment for adopted children, according to recent study findings published in Child Development.

“While actual divisions of childcare tasks, such as feeding, dressing and taking time to play with kids, were unrelated to children’s adjustment, it was the parents who were most satisfied with their arrangements with each other who had children with fewer behavior problems, such as acting out or showing aggressive behavior,” Rachel H. Farr, PhD, of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, said in a press release.

 

Rachel H. Farr

The study included 104 families with adopted children, 25 headed by lesbian couples, 29 by gay male couples and 50 by heterosexual couples. All of the children were placed with the families at birth or during the first few weeks of life. The study was conducted when the children were aged 3 years. Parents reported division of child-related labor between them and factors of their child’s adjustment. Researchers also observed co-parenting behaviors through video recordings.

Researchers found that lesbian and gay couples reported sharing childcare and heterosexual couples reported specialization. Lesbian couples showed the most supportive interactions, gay couples showed the least and heterosexual couples were in the middle. Heterosexual couples showed the most undermining interactions, lesbian couples the least and gay couples were in the middle. Supportive co-parenting resulted in the most positive child behavior for all three types of parents.

“Overall co-parenting behaviors emerged as more important correlates of child outcomes than did family structure, regardless of differences in couples’ divisions of labor or interactions during family play,” researchers wrote. “Thus, results suggested that parental sexual orientation was linked more with qualitative differences in family experiences than with differences in outcomes for children.”

Disclosure: The study was funded in part by the Lesbian Health Fund and Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles.