Contributions of parental attachment to gay or lesbian disclosure to parents and dysfunctional cognitive processes.

This study examined the relationship among parental attachment, sexual self-disclosure to parents, and dysfunctional cognitions in a sample of 113 gay and lesbian adults. The results of canonical analysis revealed that characteristics of secure attachment to mother and father were positively associated with disclosure to parents and length of time since disclosure, and they were negatively associated with self-reports of dysfunctional cognitions. These results suggest that attachment quality warrants further investigation as a factor that may facilitate disclosure to parents and reduce the risk for dysfunctional cognitions.