Abstract

This study looks at the experiences of parents of LGBTQ+ children who are estranged from their LGBTQ+ child(ren) because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. The loss of a child through estrangement is interpreted as ambiguous loss for the parent, which could result in multiple negative emotional or behavioral outcomes related to grief. How a parent copes with the estrangement and subsequent ambiguous loss also has the potential to negatively, or positively, impact the parent’s feelings and behavior in the aftermath of estrangement. LGBTQ+ prejudice contextualizes many of the reasons parents and LGBTQ+ children become estranged, and deal with the estrangement and potential reconciliation of the relationship afterwards. Participants had to meet three requirements to participate in the study: have a child, have a child that identifies as LGBTQ+, and being/having been estranged from their LGBTQ+ child(ren). There are 39 participants in this study, with a mean age of 43.2 (SD = 8.2). Twenty-four participants identified as female, and 15 identified as male. Twenty-nine participants stated their racial-ethnic identity as white. I performed regression analysis to determine connections between ambiguous loss and coping skills with regret and self-esteem, along with connections between LGBTQ+ prejudice and reconciliation attempts. There were no impacts of ambiguous loss, coping skills, or LGBTQ+ prejudice on regret, self-esteem, or reconciliation attempts. The results of the study show complex experiences with grief from the estrangement, as well as a wide variety of coping skills utilized to deal with the emotional outcomes of estrangement.

Advisor

Clark, Alyssa

Department

Psychology

Disciplines

Applied Behavior Analysis | Personality and Social Contexts | Quantitative Psychology

Keywords

Estrangement, Parents, LGBTQ+, LGBTQ+ Prejudice, Regret, Ambiguous Loss

Publication Date

2026

Degree Granted

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type

Senior Independent Study Thesis

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