Attachment‐Based Family Therapy for LGBTQ Youth in a Community Setting: A Community‐Engaged, Qualitative Pilot Study of Youth and Parent Experiences.
Saved in:
| Title: | Attachment‐Based Family Therapy for LGBTQ Youth in a Community Setting: A Community‐Engaged, Qualitative Pilot Study of Youth and Parent Experiences. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Heiden‐Rootes, Katie1 (AUTHOR) Katie.heidenrootes@health.slu.edu, Linsenmeyer, Whitney2 (AUTHOR), Russon, Jody3 (AUTHOR), Levy, Suzanne4 (AUTHOR), Diamond, Guy5 (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Journal of Marital & Family Therapy. Jan2025, Vol. 51 Issue 1, p1-17. 17p. |
| Subject Terms: | *LGBTQ+ youth, *Family relations, *Qualitative research, Mental health, Services for caregivers, Emotion-focused therapy, Psychological distress, Social context |
| Abstract: | Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youth who experience family rejection are at increased risk for depression and suicide. Attachment‐Based Family Therapy (ABFT) demonstrates promising results for reducing this risk with LGBTQ youth. This community‐participatory, mixed‐method study piloted the use of ABFT with LGBTQ youth. Fourteen families completed treatment with adolescent youth, pre‐ and post‐individual and family interviews, and a measure of youth mental health. Post‐therapy, 80% of youth showed a significant reduction in psychological distress. The qualitative thematic analysis constructed four themes describing how families present to therapy with emotional distress, caregiver support needed during ABFT, how caregivers acquired new listening and communication skills, and LGBTQ youth experiences of finding freedom to explore and talk about sexual and gender identities. Implications from the study suggest the need to challenge heteronormative emotional structures of families for increasing emotional support of fathers with their LGBTQ children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Journal of Marital & Family Therapy is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Education Research Complete |
|
Full text is not displayed to guests.
Login for full access.
|
|
| Abstract: | Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youth who experience family rejection are at increased risk for depression and suicide. Attachment‐Based Family Therapy (ABFT) demonstrates promising results for reducing this risk with LGBTQ youth. This community‐participatory, mixed‐method study piloted the use of ABFT with LGBTQ youth. Fourteen families completed treatment with adolescent youth, pre‐ and post‐individual and family interviews, and a measure of youth mental health. Post‐therapy, 80% of youth showed a significant reduction in psychological distress. The qualitative thematic analysis constructed four themes describing how families present to therapy with emotional distress, caregiver support needed during ABFT, how caregivers acquired new listening and communication skills, and LGBTQ youth experiences of finding freedom to explore and talk about sexual and gender identities. Implications from the study suggest the need to challenge heteronormative emotional structures of families for increasing emotional support of fathers with their LGBTQ children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0194472X |
| DOI: | 10.1111/jmft.12765 |
