Lezbiyen ve gey bireylerin ve ebeveynlerinin açılma sürecindeki deneyimleri: Türkiye'de kalitatif bir çalışma

This study is aimed to explore deeply the experiences of lesbian and gay youth in coming out process. Ten families from Turkey who participated included mothers and lesbian/gay youth ranging in ages of 21 to 33. In participants of youth, three of them define themselves as lesbian, and rest defines as gay. Thematic analysis using Family Systems Theory as a base is used to analyse 20 interviews. Seven themes (numbers) and 13 subthemes (letters) have emerged from thematic analysis of coming out experiences of gay youth and parents as following: 1) youth's acceptance of self as a process, 1a) experiencing confusion and isolation in coming out to oneself, 1b) motivation to come out: the burden of being closeted, 2) suspicion prior to coming out, 2a) youth suspicion of family's suspicion, 2b) suspicion of parents, 3) youth's worries about the anticipated negative reactions, 3a) using the opportunity of the context to come out, 4) family adjustment 4a) initial reactions, 4b) acceptance as a process, 5) positive effects of coming out, 5a) youth feeling free to be themselves after relieving the burden of being closeted, 5b) better relationships in family after coming out, 6) social & cultural effects, 6a) social cultural effects being a hump for both parents and youth, 6b) lack of reliable sources and being uninformed as barriers, 6c) social support easing the process for both youth and parents, 7) coming out being a difficult process, 7a) continuing negative effects. Further subthemes of subthemes are explained in the results section with quotes from participants. Themes and subthemes are discussed in the framework of Family Systems Theory. Themes overall highlight the characteristics of coming out as a process in the line with other studies in the field. Moreover, clinical implications of the study are discussed.