Understanding the Well-Being of the LGBTQI Population: Families and Social Relationships

Course overview

This course is based upon material published by the National Academies of Sciences website and is available as an open-access article. Decades of study reveal that individuals who are relatively more socially connected are in better health and live longer than those who are relatively more socially isolated (Holt-Lunstad, Smith, and Layton, 2010). Close relationships and social connections, such as those found in families, are fundamentally important to health and well-being throughout life (Umberson and Karas Montez, 2010; Umberson and Thomeer, 2020). Supportive and stable relationships foster health and well-being, and relationships early in life have implications for the quality and stability of social ties in adolescence and adulthood. Throughout adulthood, people who are more socially connected have better mental and physical health and lower mortality than those who are more socially isolated (Yang et al., 2016). Sexual and gender diverse (SGD) populations have not been a focus of this research to date, even though minority stress and discrimination experienced by SGD populations contribute to patterns of social engagement and patterns of isolation. Beginning in childhood, SGD populations face unique sources of stigma and discrimination due to SGD status that may introduce strain in relationships with others, inhibit family formation, and contribute to social isolation (Patterson, 2019; Riskind and Patterson, 2010; Russell and Fish, 2016). Close social ties can help individuals cope with sexual minority stress and offer sources of connection, resilience, and support that foster health and well-being (Umberson and Thomeer, 2020). This [course] presents an overview of research findings relevant to social relationships and family lives across the life course. The discussion focuses on research about relationships in childhood and adolescence, on parenting and parent-child relationships, and on social ties in adulthood. In assessing the evidence, attention is devoted to contexts of relationships (such as stigma and discrimination), diversity in social ties as a function of diverse identities (such as sex and gender, social and economic status, and race and ethnicity), and on factors related to risk and resilience. This course on familiy and social relationships in the LGBTQ population is designed for social workers, professional counselors, psychologists, nurses, and substance abuse counselors, who do clinical work. In addition, this course is appropriate for intermediate and advanced level practitioners who wish to develop their knowledge of social relationships in the LGBTQ population. The course material includes a literature review of research. It may also be useful for licensed clinicians who require continuing clinical education courses for license renewal. The course is based on a journal article that includes research. It contains that some clinicians enjoy reading and others do not. A significant benefit of reading research-based articles for continuing education is that they provide practitioners with the latest findings in their field. Authors: National Academies of Sciences Learning Objectives: This course will provide the practitioner with detailed information regarding social relationships in the LGBTQ populations in reference to family and social relationships. Specifically, a professional will: Describe research findings regarding sexually and gender-diverse youth and their peers. Distinguish research on family formation, parenting and other family ties for LGBTQ individuals. Describe recent data regarding intimate and romantic relationships for LGBTQ individuals. Citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 2020. Understanding the Well-Being of LGBTQI+ Populations. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.