Children of same-sex couples are healthier and happier than those from traditional families, according to a study from the University of Melbourne. Researchers surveyed 315 same-sex parents, mostly moms, with a total of 500 kids.
The children with either two mothers or two fathers managed to outscore the general population on measures of health and family cohesion.
They scored an average of 6% higher than the general population on measures of general health and family cohesion, while scoring the same when it came to temperament and mood, behavior, mental health and self-esteem.
Lead researcher Simon Crouch, who acknowledged that he has two children with his male partner, said the study is “a measure that looks at how well families get along, and it seems that same-sex-parent families and the children in them are getting along well, and this has positive impacts on child health.”
The results, while in line with previous surveys, still set off a firestorm.
“I wasn’t surprised that these parents who volunteered for the study all thought their children were doing well,” Family Voice Australia research officer Rosyln Phillips told ABC Radio Australia. “You’ve got to look beyond studies like these to what happens when the child reaches adulthood, and that’s the only time with independent assessment you can really say what’s gone on with the parenting.”
For every skeptic, there were those online applauding the study. Or at least lobbing some good-natured quips, like this commenter on Fark.com.
“No gay couple has ever got really drunk one night and woken up the next morning to discover that they’ve accidentally completed all of the background checks and paperwork required to adopt a kid,” he wrote.
The dark side of the issue, however, continues to be what the kids have to go through in the face of those reluctant to embrace them.
“Stigma can be subtle, such as letters home from school addressed to Mr. and Mrs., or it can be overt and very harmful, in the form of bullying and abuse at school,” Crouch said. “What we have found is that the more stigma these families experience, the greater the impact on the social and emotional well-being of children.”