Study: Children of Same-Sex Couples Healthier Than Peers

An in-progress study from Melbourne University in Australia, finds that children with same-gender parents are doing as well or better than the rest of the population on a number of key health indicators.

The information, published in The Age, describes the Australian Study of Child Health in Same-Sex Families as the largest of its kind: 315 gay, lesbian and bisexual parents from around the nation completed the globally-recognized Child Health Questionnaire, which included data on 500 children, up to the age of 17.

An interim report found there was no statistical difference between children of same-sex couples and the rest of the population on indicators including self-esteem, emotional behavior and the amount of time spent with parents.
However, children of same-sex couples scored higher than the national average for overall health and family cohesion, measuring how well the family members get along.

This information seemingly debunks a study conducted by Mark Regenerus from the University of Texas at Austin, which is widely cited by groups who are against LGBT people from becoming parents. As writer Jase Peeples from Advocate.com reports, Regenerus’ study used only 20 cases of same-sex parenting to draw its conclusions, and only two of those examples were instances of both same-sex parents having been in a child’s life for all 18 years of their upbringing.

That hasn’t stopped Regenerus from claiming it’s actually the Australian study that’s wrong. In a guest op-ed in the conservative National Review, he attacks the study today for using emails and other forms of advertising to find the couples who participated in the survey. Regenerus says the 500 couples may participate because they have an agenda to push and that their self-reporting about their own children is biased.

Thus far, organizers of the Australian study have not commented on Regenerus or his research. Instead, they offer some theories as to why they’re seeing these initial positive results. ”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,” says lead researcher Dr Simon Crouch in the report. ”This fosters openness and means children tend to be more resilient. That would be our hypothesis.”