Sviluppo e omogenitorialità: una rassegna di studi che hanno confrontato famiglie omosessuali ed eterosessuali

The review presents the differences - concerning the adjustment of the children (mental health and cognitive development) in psychosexual development, relationships with peers, and parental skills. The studies on the children of homosexual families, published between 1978 and 2007, were identified through two databases, Medline and PsycInfo. Only the studies with control groups were retained. The authors found 26 studies, described in 33 publications. The review of these articles brings to light that children brought up by homosexual parents do not differ from other children in adjustment and psychosexual development. However, 2 out of the 8 studies, investigating peer relations, described episodes of stigma endured by the children of homosexual families. Furthermore, the quality of parenting, comparing homosexual and heterosexual parents, does not differ much. Though, findings do suggest that homosexual parents tend to reveal better parenting skills. Parents’ sexual orientation, at least as regards lesbian mothers, does not seem to hinder the children’s development. On the other hand, stigma and the lack of social and legal recognition does impinge on homosexual families. Keywords: children, lesbians, gay men, parenting, psychological outcomes, review.