New Study Could Raise Issue in Custody Battles

The results of a new study examining the effect of children raised in broken homes where one parent was gay could eventually be used against those parents in custody cases. The study, which has been published in the journal Social Science Research, was written by Mark Regnerus, a sociologist at the University of Texas in Austin. His conclusion was that these children grow to be young adults with somewhat more psychological and social problems than ones from traditional families that had experienced divorce and separation.

There were 2,988 people, between the ages of 18 to 39, nationwide, who participated in the study. About half of them were born out of wedlock, with one gay parent. The other half were born into traditional families which eventually broke up.

Problems in current lives, such as drug use, depression and unemployment, were reported more often by the participants coming from the non-traditional families. Those with a gay parent also reported less education and more sexual partners. There was a slightly higher rate of participants receiving public assistance from the non-traditional group as compared to the traditional family group.

The New York Times reported that some gay rights group discount the study, saying that its financing by conservative foundations make it biased and also claim it was poorly researched. The Times also contacted other experts who say the study was extremely thorough and provides some of the best information to date.

Whatever your family situation, make sure you protect your rights, and your children’s rights. If you are involved in a custody dispute, you need the services of an experienced divorce attorney in Naperville.