Children of Gay Parents, Same-Sex Couples Actually Healthier, Happier, Thrive More – Australian Study
Not only do they get to live normal lives, but children of gay parents and same-sex couples are actually healthier, happier and thrive more than children of straight heterosexual couples, according to a study by the Australian Study of Child Health in Same-Sex Families.
The foremost potential reasons for success is the gay parents' openness to their child as well as preventive and more hands-on parenting approach.
"Because of the situation that same-sex families find themselves in, they are generally more willing to communicate and approach the issues that any child may face at school, like teasing or bullying," lead researcher Dr. Simon Crouch from the McCaughey VicHealth Centre for Community Wellbeing, University of Melbourne, said.
"This fosters openness and means children tend to be more resilient. That would be our hypothesis."
Russian President Vladimir Putin would be surprised to know about this latest development, since he strongly believes that children adopted by gay, same-sex couples are more destined to be treated badly.
Read: Russia's Putin Says No to Child Adoptions by Foreign Gay, Same-Sex Couples
The study, the world's largest on same-sex parenting and children's well-being, practically found no gaping statistical difference that children from straight heterosexual parents and families can cope better with those from gay or same-sex parents and families when it comes to self-esteem, emotional behaviour and the amount of time spent with parents.
Taking data from 500 children aged 0-17 years nationally, the study is still far from over. The researchers said they have yet to plan evaluating how discrimination in schools, child-care and health-care services affect the children's well-being.
However, this recent finding does assert an earlier research in 2010 which also showed that children raised by lesbian parents turn into more psychologically and healthy teens, with fewer behavioral problems, compared to their counterparts from straight heterosexual couples and families.
"Contrary to assertions from people opposed to same-sex parenting, we found that the 17-year-olds scored higher in psychological adjustment in areas of competency and lower in problem behaviors than the normative age-matched sample of kids raised in traditional families with a mom and a dad," Nanette Gartrell, a researcher at the University of California, told Huffington Post.