Ann Arbor – Statewide bans on marriage equality and gay adoption are especially hard on young gay men who want to be fathers, according to a study by the University of Michigan School of Public Health.
The study asked 1,487 young men in all 50 states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico about their aspirations to be fathers in the future and evaluated whether these bans have any emotional impact to their psychological well-being.
In the states where same-sex marriage and adoption are legal researchers found men had lower depressive symptoms and higher self-esteem than men in states without these laws ensuring equality.
“Researchers are providing evidence to show that these types of policies are linked to greater psychological and physiological stress,” said Jose Bauermeister, director of the UM Center for Sexuality & Health Disparities, in a press release. “Our study extends this current work by noting that LGBT discrimination can also affect how and what people dream for their future.”
Bauermeister said the study is the first to look at how young gay and bisexual men’s hopes about the future might fail to protect their psychological health when they live in states where LGBT discrimination is law.
Results of the study are published online in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence.
