Out of Denmark comes a study that will be sure to put a crimp in the we-are-born-that-way theory of the origins of homosexuality. The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Archives of Sexual Behavior, provides interesting and tantalizing evidence that the less stable or traditional a child’s home is, the more likely that the child will turn to homosexuality as an adult.
The study used 2,000,355 native-born Danes between the ages of 18 and 49, virtually “the entire Danish population”. With such a large base it can hardly be claimed that the sampling was problematic. Many studies in the past have been discounted because of their sampling sizes — generally being claimed too small.
Denmark was the first country to legalize gay marriage and has a large variety of recognized modes of cohabitation and lifestyles, so this study is of particular interest in that the stats cover the longest range of time available from which to establish the most reliable statistics.
Effects of Upbringing on Sexual Orientation
As quoted on the NARTH website, the study’s authors conclude: “Our study provides population-based, prospective evidence that childhood family experiences are important determinants of heterosexual and homosexual marriage decisions in adulthood.”
The authors go on to say, “Whatever ingredients determine a person’s sexual preferences and marital choices, our population-based study shows that parental interactions are important.”
A further observation is made by Linda Ames Nicolosi of NARTH.
Assuming that people who marry heterosexually are almost always heterosexual — especially in a country where homosexuality carries little stigma, and gay marriage is legal — and people who marry homosexually can be presumed to be homosexual, the study’s findings offer intriguing evidence about family factors separating homosexual from heterosexual persons.
The findings show that children who have unstable or abusive homes are more likely to have homosexual relationships later on. This rings true to many studies that show homosexual males were often sexually abused as children.
This would also tend to prove that homosexuality is more a pathology, than a mere “natural” predilection. It would make the claims of being born gay problematic and, rather, a result of the mind’s reaction to a troubled childhood. It would also tend to make the removal of homosexuality from the rolls of mental health problems a mistake.
Here are some of the findings from the Danish report:
1. Men who marry homosexually are more likely to have been raised in a family with unstable parental relationships — particularly, absent or unknown fathers and divorced parents.
2. Findings on women who marry homosexually were less pronounced, but were still associated with a childhood marked by a broken family. The rates of same-sex marriage “were elevated among women who experienced maternal death during adolescence, women with short duration of parental marriage, and women with long duration of mother-absent cohabitation with father.”
3. Men and women with “unknown fathers” were significantly less likely to marry a person of the opposite sex than were their peers with known fathers.
4. Men who experienced parental death during childhood or adolescence “had significantly lower heterosexual marriage rates than peers whose parents were both alive on their 18th birthday. The younger the age of the father’s death, the lower was the likelihood of heterosexual marriage.”
5. “The shorter the duration of parental marriage, the higher was the likelihood of homosexual marriage…homosexual marriage rates were 36% and 26% higher among men and women, respectively, who experienced parental divorce after less than six years of marriage, than among peers whose parents remained married for all 18 years of childhood and adolescence.”
6. “Men whose parents divorced before their 6th birthday were 39% more likely to marry homosexually than peers from intact parental marriages.”
7. “Men whose cohabitation with both parents ended before age 18 years had significantly (55% -76%) higher rates of homosexual marriage than men who cohabited with both parents until 18 years.”
8. The mother’s age was directly linked to the likelihood of homosexual marriage among men — the older the mother, the more likely her son was to marry another man. Also, “only children” were more likely to be homosexual.
9. Persons born in large cities were significantly more likely to marry a same-sex partner — suggesting that cultural factors might also affect the development of sexual orientation.
In any case, this is a large sampling culled from among what is purportedly the most “tolerant” nation toward homosexuality and alternate lifestyles and it shows that, far from being benign, homosexuality is a result of abuse and instability in the home, as opposed to being some natural proclivity, for a large percentage of the population.
4 users commented in " Troubled Childhood Increases Risk of Homosexuality "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackPeople in same-sex relationships tend to be more educated, more affluent, and more well-traveled than non-gays and homophobic persons. Correlation is not the same as causation. Only ignorant people would leap to invalid conclusions based upon one study, which does not purport that homosexuality causes any of these social phenomena nor is caused by it. There is a reason this study has gotten no publicity or scientific notice aside from the discounted charlatans at NARTH. The point is that homosexuality is a natural, good part of human diversity and your inability to deal with that makes you look ignorant.
this is an interesting study but i fear that bigots might use this against homosexuality. i’m going to be honest and not lie: some of this applys to me as a gay teen. “are more likely to have been raised in a family with unstable parental relationships — particularly, absent or unknown fathers and divorced parents.” when i was young my dad worked out of town a lot and my relashonship with him is still rocky; and my parents divorced when i was 8.
i think this is an interesting study and i don’t think that gays should ignore it but still, this study is NOT a weapon so to all the bigots: don’t use it as one!
Very interesting study! I would like to point out, however, that there is strong evidence for a genetic component as well.
For example, J. Michael Bailey wrote about a twin study in The Man Who Would Be Queen that found identical twins were more likely to be both gay/both straight than fraternal twins, even though both shared the same upbringing. The correlation wasn’t perfect, however, showing that environmental factors like the one in this study have an impact too.
Also, I don’t think the nature-nurture debate matters at all when it comes to the political debate over homosexuality. No matter how they got that way, they are that way, and almost definitely not by choice.
This would also tend to prove that homosexuality is more a pathology, than a mere “natural” predilection. It would make the claims of being born gay problematic and, rather, a result of the mind’s reaction to a troubled childhood. It would also tend to make the removal of homosexuality from the rolls of mental health problems a mistake.
In any case, this is a large sampling culled from among what is purportedly the most “tolerant” nation toward homosexuality and alternate lifestyles and it shows that, far from being benign, homosexuality is a result of abuse and instability in the home, as opposed to being some natural proclivity, for a large percentage of the population.
These quote among others above demonstrates how difficult it is to properly interpret complex studies such as this one. I covered this study in October here on Blogger News Network and had my review vetted by the studies authors.
The Frisch and Hviid study cannot say much about whether homosexuality is natural or benign or the result of abuse. It does suggest that for gays who choose to marry homosexually in Denmark, there is a higher marriage rate if certain environmental factors are present. Among the most robust (although you would not know it from the NARTH article) was the correlation with an urban or rural birthplace. The family factors while correlated with higher homosexual marriage rates explained very little of the differences. Finding a correlation may not tell you much important with such large numbers. Also, correlation does not mean cause. Shark attacks and ice cream sales are correlated but I doubt they have much to do with one another.
Another example of misleading reporting is this statement from the NARTH article: “Men whose parents divorced before their 6th birthday were 39% more likely to marry homosexually than peers from intact parental marriages.”
This is a true but statistically insignificant statement. In other words, the difference exists but it is not large enough to be meaningful statistically. Knowing a man’s parents were divorced prior to age six would give you very little ability to predict whether he would marry homosexually. Again, you would not know that from the NARTH article.
This quote from the above article is problematic as well: The findings show that children who have unstable or abusive homes are more likely to have homosexual relationships later on. This rings true to many studies that show homosexual males were often sexually abused as children.
First, the Danish study did not measure abuse and secondly, in the best studies we have on the subject, child abuse is actually a small component of the variance between gay and straight people. Also, much abuse of gays takes place after they disclose their attractions to the same sex, not before.
While I do indeed believe that nature and nurture interact, I do not think it helps to overextend research reports in the service of attacking biological determinism. For more on this see Drthrockmorton.com.
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