Family Members’ Support for GLBT Issues: The Role of Family Adaptability and Cohesion

Abstract

Families high in cohesion and adaptability are often able to function better than families low in cohesion and adaptability. This study hypothesized that heterosexual family members who report their family adaptability and/or cohesion to be high rather than low would have more contact with their GLBT family member, report more GLBT friends, family members, and GLBT acquaintances, as well as have more favorable attitudes toward and greater knowledge of GLBT issues. This study explored family environment (adaptability and cohesion as assessed by FACES III) of 136 family members of GLBT individuals and knowledge and attitudes (assessed by the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Knowledge and Attitudes Scale for Heterosexuals; GLB-KASH). Participants reporting high adaptability in their families reported having more contact with the GLBT family member and more GLBT acquaintances than participants reporting low adaptability in their families. Participants from more cohesive families reported more GLBT friends and family members, more knowledge about GLBT issues, and more internalized affirmativeness than participants reporting unbalanced cohesion. Participants from families high in both cohesion and adaptability reported more contact with GLBT family members, more GLBT friends and family members, more GLBT acquaintances, more knowledge about GLBT issues, and more internalized affirmativeness than participants reporting either unbalanced cohesion or adaptability in their families. Implications for counseling are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• gay
• lesbian
• bisexual
• family
• adaptability
• cohesion

Notes

∗p < .05;

∗∗p < .01;

∗∗∗p < .001.

∗p < .05;

∗∗p < .01.

1. The groups have unequal numbers; several participants shared the median score and rather than arbitrarily dividing these participants into the two groups, we elected to keep participants having the same score together in the same group.