Perceived Parental Rejection as a Predictor of Psychological Distress in LGBQ + Adults and the Moderating Effects of Self-Acceptance of Sexuality

Abstract

As a marginalized group, individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or queer (LGBQ+) may be particularly at risk for experiencing parental rejection and related negative outcomes. Few studies have focused on parental rejection as experienced in adulthood. Investigators used the Perceived Parental Reactions Scale (PPRS), the Self-Acceptance of Sexuality Inventory (SASI), and the short-form Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) to examine the relationship between present-day perceived parental rejection of sexual identity, self-acceptance of sexuality, and psychological distress in a sample of LGBQ+ adults aged 18–60+ (n = 309). Results found that perceived parental rejection was positively correlated with levels of depression, anxiety, and stress and inversely correlated with self-acceptance of sexuality. Self-acceptance of sexuality also was found to be inversely correlated with psychological distress. Moreover, study results revealed that self-acceptance of sexuality moderated the relationship between present-day perceived parental rejection and psychological distress in LGBQ+ adults. Future directions and clinical implications for these findings are discussed, including expanding diversity in future studies and incorporating considerations for the entire family system, including multigenerational homes.

Keywords:

• LGBTQ
• parental rejection
• parental acceptance
• sexuality
• self-acceptance
• psychological distress
• depression
• anxiety
• sexual orientation

Ethical approval

This study (CPHS Study 21-113) was approved by the University of Houston Clear Lake’s Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects institutional review board prior to data collection.

Informed consent

Informed consent to participate and to publish was obtained from all participants included in the study.

Disclosure statement

The authors report there are no relevant competing interests to declare.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, VRM, upon reasonable request.