The experience of mothers of queer youth

Abstract

This research paper explores the journey and experiences that mothers go through once youths identify themselves as gay individuals. In addition, it seeks to explore the dynamics a family undergoes during this process. To investigate this phenomenon, a qualitative study was conducted using in-depth interviews. Six mothers volunteered to take part in the study. They were mothers of six young people of different age groups who define themselves as queer hence part of the LGBTIQ+ spectrum. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews. Once the data was collected, it was analysed using thematic analysis as outlined by Braun and Clarke (2013). Three main themes were elicited: pre-coming out experiences, experiences during coming out, and post-coming out experiences. The information collected from this study was compared to the studies in the literature review.