Restorying Queer Family: A Scoping Review

Author

Matthew FreemanFollow

Date of Award

Spring 4-28-2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

MA - Master of Arts

Department

Expressive Therapies

Advisor

Jason Frydman

Abstract

LGBTQ+ populations within clinical research are typically characterized through the lens of the minority stress model (Meyer, 2003) and the risks or problems that are associated with their identities (Kiekens et al., 2020). Despite rising rates of families headed by LGBTQ+ individuals (Suter et al., 2016), they remain underrepresented within family-based research (Jensen & Sanner, 2021).This body of work aims to move beyond these standards to explore the ways that LGBTQ+ individuals utilize narrative as a means of connecting themselves to their families. In order to accomplish this, a scoping literature review was conducted to answer the following question: “Within the current literature, in what ways has narrative been used to foster connection between LGBTQ+ individuals and their conception of family?” Seven articles were identified for inclusion based on their exploration of all three central concepts including LGBTQ+ individuals, family, and narrative. Based on these articles, four subthemes were generated, entitled “Experiences of Coming Out,” “Family Interactions Matter,” “Community and Society,” and “Continuous Evolution.” These subthemes articulate a larger theme described as “The Life Cycle of Queer Family,” which serves as a new narrative for the typical development of LGBTQ+ identities within a familial context. Recommendations for the development of a narradrama intervention targeting families with LGBTQ+ members are described. Lastly, the implications of this new narrative on clinical work with LGBTQ+ populations are discussed, and consideration of further inquiry is provided.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Freeman, Matthew, "Restorying Queer Family: A Scoping Review" (2023). Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses. 713.
https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/expressive_theses/713