Importance of Nurture for Healthy Sexuality
Linda Ames Nicolosi reports on a study from the peer reviewed Journal, Archives of Sexual Behavior, that indicates that lack of a healthy family environment during a child’s upbringing seems to lead to increased occurrence of same sex attraction dysfunction. Some snippets from her report:
[snip]
The study used a population-based sample of 2,000,355 native-born Danes between the ages of 18 and 49. Denmark — a country noted for its tolerance of a wide variety of alternative lifestyles, including homosexual partnerships — was the first country to legalize gay marriage. The researchers assessed detailed marriage records for all Danish-born men and women marrying a same-sex partner from the years 1989 through 2001.
With access to the “virtually complete registry coverage of the entire Danish population,” the study sample therefore lacked the problematic selection bias that has plagued many previous studies on sexual orientation.
The authors conclude: “Our study provides population-based, prospective evidence that childhood family experiences are important determinants of heterosexual and homosexual marriage decisions in adulthood.”
Here are some conclusions:
Men who marry homosexually are more likely to have been raised in a family with unstable parental relationships — particularly, absent or unknown fathers and divorced parents.
Findings on women who marry homosexually were less pronounced, but were still associated with a childhood marked by a broken family. The rates of same-sex marriage “were elevated among women who experienced maternal death during adolescence, women with short duration of parental marriage, and women with long duration of mother-absent cohabitation with father.”
Men and women with “unknown fathers” were significantly less likely to marry a person of the opposite sex than were their peers with known fathers.
Men who experienced parental death during childhood or adolescence “had significantly lower heterosexual marriage rates than peers whose parents were both alive on their 18th birthday. The younger the age of the father’s death, the lower was the likelihood of heterosexual marriage.”
“The shorter the duration of parental marriage, the higher was the likelihood of homosexual marriage…homosexual marriage rates were 36% and 26% higher among men and women, respectively, who experienced parental divorce after less than six years of marriage, than among peers whose parents remained married for all 18 years of childhood and adolescence.”
“Men whose parents divorced before their 6th birthday were 39% more likely to marry homosexually than peers from intact parental marriages.”
“Men whose cohabitation with both parents ended before age 18 years had significantly (55% -76%) higher rates of homosexual marriage than men who cohabited with both parents until 18 years.”
The mother’s age was directly linked to the likelihood of homosexual marriage among men — the older the mother, the more likely her son was to marry another man. Also, “only children” were more likely to be homosexual.
Persons born in large cities were significantly more likely to marry a same-sex partner — suggesting that cultural factors might also affect the development of sexual orientation.
There are many interesting suggestions here. it has been known for some time that the importance of both parents to provide different sex and same sex nurturing for children in a healthy and safe environment during formative years is a significant factor explaining the dramatic increase in social maladies in recent years. Particularly, the lack of loving fathers in children’s lives has been strongly associated with teenage pregnancy for girls and violence and crime for boys. There has also been a causal connection made between SSA disorder and boys’ inability to identify their masculinity with other boys and especially their fathers as children. Thus, the findings of this latest study fit well with this.
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From the Article:
“Because we do not know how representative men and women in same-sex marriages are of homosexuals in general, our findings should not be used incautiously to define childhood determinants of sexual orientation. “
There is no peer reviewed literature to support your claim that “…a causal connection [has] made between SSA disorder and boys’ inability to identify their masculinity with other boys and especially their fathers as children. Thus, the findings of this latest study fit well with this.”
They don’t.
It would make an argument for uncertain home-lives causing urban gay men and women to get married to other, urban gay men and women of the same gender, however.
Comment by Jody Wheeler — November 30, 2006 @ 11:18 am
There is no peer reviewed literature to support your claim
Here are just a few:
Apperson, L., McAdoo, W. (1968) Parental factors in the childhood of homosexuals. Journal of Abnormal Psychology. 73, 3: 201 - 206.
Bene, E. (1965) On the genesis of male homosexuality: An attempt at clarifying the role of the parents. British Journal of Psychiatry. 111: 803 - 813.
Pillard, R. (1988) Sexual orientation and mental disorder. Psychiatric Annals. 18, 1: 52 - 56.
Comment by David — November 30, 2006 @ 11:52 am
David, your failures to understand research still don’t make your statements true.
From Dr. M.Quinn, 1996.
Comment by Jody — November 30, 2006 @ 1:59 pm
Dr. D. Michael Quinn is a former Mormon historian turned “gay” apologist. His motivation brings him into question and this proves out in his arguments. They are generally quite specious. First, the issue is not “emotional distance” per se but a variety of factors that lead to the inability of the child to identify with his masculinity.
Secondly, even if Quinn’s fabulous claim of the widespread “feelings of emotional distance” be true, there are other factors at play. Human behavior is not deterministic. Just because not everyone responds in this way doesn’t not mean that no one does, or that it cannot be a contributing cause. As it turns out, the lack of paternal nurture leads more often to violence and crime than it does to SSAD. That is why there is a statistical correlation between the rate of crime in a neighborhood and the percentage of fatherless households in that neighborhood.
By the way, Quinn’s book is not a peer reviewed journal. Certainly it would not be that hard to find a host of SSAD apologists who could provide better support since they dominate the field now.
There are a host of psychiatrists/psychologists/therapists who have the courage to defy the anti-science tide within the APA and find in their clinical practice that a pathological inability to identify with their sexuality is the most productive model to use in treating the illness. The cause is certainly not always lack of paternal nurture but it is very commonly the case.
Comment by David — November 30, 2006 @ 3:15 pm
Dave, the only thing that matters is the quality science, not the sexual orientation of the scientists or their religious views. Unless you can demonstrate that the science was done incorrectly or the results are being reported wrongly, the only thing proved out is the naked hypocrisy of your point.
Just because not everyone responds in this way doesn’t not mean that no one does, or that it cannot be a contributing cause.
In science, the burden doesn’t fall on me to say that your personal theory is not the cause or not a contributing cause. It’s on you, or on the studies you cite, to show that it is a cause or a contributing cause. You haven’t remotely done this.
Far from being spurious, the Quinn quotation was apt and germane. Unlike you, Quinn provided footnotes to several studies demonstrating that the perceptions of men of their fathers, in general, is one of difficulty or of less than desirable relation. His point was far more reasoned that yours.
As it turns out, the lack of paternal nurture leads more often to violence and crime than it does to SSAD. That is why there is a statistical correlation between the rate of crime in a neighborhood and the percentage of fatherless households in that neighborhood…
Then those neighborhoods, under your line of reasoning, should produce more homosexuals. I’ve never seen a study that remotely supports that. If you have evidence to the contrary, please present it.
There are a host of psychiatrists/psychologists/therapists who have the courage to defy the anti-science tide within the APA..
Now you are just talking wacky.
I find it hard to believe that all of Science and its respective practitioners have allied themselves in a vast, anti-science/ family/civilization conspiracy to which only you, reparative therapists in general and NARTH in particular are the sole champions of truth and righteousness and accuracy.
But if that idea helps you to sleep at night, knock yourself out.
Comment by Jody — November 30, 2006 @ 6:14 pm
In science, the burden doesn’t fall on me to say that your personal theory is not the cause or not a contributing cause.
I’m not quite sure what you mean. I have already provided some references which show that this is far from a “personal theory.” For some reason you summarily dismissed them without a direct refutation of the studies. Rather you reference an article by a non-specialist advocate, in a non-refereed journal (to which you wished to limit me), demonstrating faulty logic (i.e. if not everyone is effected in one way by a particular effect then no one is).
Now you are just talking wacky.
Tell that to one of the former Presidents of the APA, Dr. Robert Perloff who discusses politically correct biases of the APA. Dr. Satinover does a good job of summarizing why specifically the APA has become such a dysfunctional organization.
While I am certainly quite interested in a rational discussion of all sides of this important issue, I must admit, Jody, that these discussions grow quite tedious very quickly so we will have to end this thread here. I have rarely seen someone pack so much ad hominem, straw man/caricature, issue avoidance, and other logical fallacies into such a small space. You have a talent for this, I pray you someday are able to employ your skills to your recovery.
Comment by David — November 30, 2006 @ 7:26 pm
Uniformly excellent arguments David that square with reality. Keep up the good work you do here.
Comment by angelic doctor — December 1, 2006 @ 3:03 pm
i truly dont believe that homosexuality has anything to do with how you were brought up. i know many bi and gay people with healthy relationships with both parents and a complete family one of my close friends made this comment” why would i go under the pain and critisim of geing gay if i could change it and feel right about it. it is part of who i am and no amount of counciling will stop it. being gay is not accepted in this socieoty and it is no walk in the park” so why do you asume that a genitic “problem” is just a phase. these people’s putitary glands (it controld hormones in yu brain) make them attracted to the same sex and we shouldn’t try and change them. the bible even says LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR so dont try and change them into something their not.
Comment by Blaise McGregor — June 9, 2007 @ 2:36 pm
Blaise,
>>LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR
Love wants the the good of the other for their own sakes. The medical evidence demonstrates quite clearly that even on a physical and psycho-emotional level that those who suffer from and adopt the SSAD lifestyle are harmed. Pity without truth is pitiless.
>> it is part of who i am and no amount of counciling will stop it.
Sexual attraction is a deeply personal experience and as with any other affectivity, if it is not mastered, can become so intense that it seems nearly impossible to control. It is no surprise that these victims would identify such experiences as belonging to their self identity. Thus, self assessment is unreliable. The evidence is that those who participate in the SSAD lifestyle will eventually manifest severe physical, emotional and psychological problems. The counter evidence is that while many cannot change their attraction to heterosexual (though a good percentage can), most can become chaste and by doing so are able to lead happy and healthy lives (a study done on those who participate in Courage show an 80% healing rate…i.e. chaste sobriety).
If you do love your friends who suffer from SSAD then pray for their healing.
Comment by David — June 9, 2007 @ 3:15 pm