Dobrobit djece istospolnih roditelja

Abstract

Is the sexual orientation of parents related to the development of their children, and if it is, what is the nature of that relationship? This topic is of great importance regarding recent controversies in the political and cultural scene of both Croatia and the world. The issue of same-sex marriages, as well as of the right of same-sex couples to parenthood, has raised a great amount of research trying to establish the outcomes of children raised by same-sex couples. Twelve field analysis studies, no older than 2004, are reviewed in this article, one of which was conducted in Croatia. Although the number of studies in this field is increasing, the range of available literature remains small and limited, which is discussed throughout this article. Six topics related to the outcomes of children raised by same-sex parents are included in this review: sociodemographic factors, the rates of change in relation to family, psychological well-being, family connections or the parent-child relationship, functioning in school, and romantic relationships. The vast majority of results suggest that children's outcomes are more tightly connected with the quality of the family relationship than with the sexual orientation of the parents.