When it’s your own child: effects of media narratives on U.S. parents’ support for their LGBTQ+ teen

Clicks: 15
ID: 333760
2026
Free PDF
Article Quality & Performance Metrics
Overall Quality
Not rated
Combines reader engagement with the AI quality analysis. This article has not been analysed, so there is no overall score — reader engagement is measured and shown alongside.
AI Quality Assessment
Not analyzed
Readership in this journal
Emerging

Ranked #97 of 99 articles by views in journal of communications

Most read Least read

Bar heights use a square-root scale.

Mint this article as an NFT
Not yet minted

Create a permanent, verifiable on-chain record of this article on the Scimatic Network. The NFT is held in your Journament account, and you can withdraw it to your own wallet at any time.

5 SUSD one-off · no wallet required
Sign in to mint
Abstract
Abstract Parents’ responses to their LGBTQ+ child are varied, often intense, and have important consequences for the child. To examine how media depictions may shape responses, a pre-registered online experiment of 494 parents tested effects of viewing two TV narratives, depicting either control (non-LGBTQ+) family interactions, parental rejection, gradual growth toward acceptance, or unalloyed acceptance, of a lesbian or transgender teen, on parents’ support and behavioral intentions regarding their own LGBTQ+ teen. Guided by theories of vicarious contact and inspiring media, we assessed mediation via identification with characters, and via feelings of inspiration and manipulation, testing baseline support as a moderator. Effects of condition were indirect-only, and contingent on baseline support. Among highly supportive parents, growth and acceptance narratives (vs. control) increased feelings of inspiration, which predicted positive behavioral intentions. Among less supportive parents, rejection and (unexpectedly) growth narratives reduced identification with depicted LGBTQ+ teens, indirectly decreasing support and behavioral intentions.
Reference Key
openalex_W7223454426 Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
Authors Marie‐Louise Mares, Yuchi Anthony Chen
Are you one of these authors? Claim your profile
Journal journal of communications
Year 2026
DOI
10.1093/joc/jqag021
URL
https://doi.org/10.1093/joc/jqag021
Keywords Keywords not found

Citations

No citations found. To add a citation, contact the admin at info@scimatic.org

Comments

No comments yet. Be the first to comment on this article.