Parenthood Status and Internalized Homophobia Among LGBTQ Individuals Aged 50+: The Mediating Roles of Family of Origin Relationships

This study compared LGBTQ individuals aged 50+ with and without children in relation to two aspects of relationships with family of origin: acceptance of sexual orientation and emotional closeness, and examined their potential role in the association between parenthood status and internalized homophobia. Data were collected from 472 LGBTQ adults aged 50+ from Israel, using an online questionnaire. The questionnaires assessed the family of origin relationship, internalized homophobia, and socio-demographic background of participants. Mediation models were used to examine the study hypotheses. The result showed that LGBTQ individuals with children reported lower level of internalized homophobia and higher levels of acceptance of sexual orientation and emotional closeness from their family of origin members. Mediation analyses indicated that the association between parenthood status and internalized homophobia was accounted for by acceptance of sexual orientation by one's family of origin. Parenthood was associated with lower internalized homophobia, which may reflect alignment with societal pronatalist norms and greater acceptance of one's sexual minority identity. However, alternative explanations, including reverse associations between internalized homophobia, family acceptance, and parenthood status, cannot be ruled out.