Peer Victimization at School in Quebec: A Comparative Study of Children Adopted by Gay Fathers, Children Adopted by Heterosexual Parents, and Non-Adopted Children

Peer victimization at school has consequences for children’s psychosocial adjustment, yet little is known about the school experiences of children adopted by gay fathers in Quebec. This study examined whether children adopted by gay fathers experience more peer victimization than children adopted by heterosexual parents and non-adopted children with heterosexual parents. The sample included 128 children aged 6 to 17 years (40 adopted by gay fathers, 42 adopted by heterosexual parents, 46 non-adopted). The analyses considered anxiety, reactive aggressivity, and disclosure of family status. Multilevel models indicated that family structure was not a predictor of peer victimization once individual characteristics were considered. Higher levels of reactive aggressivity and anxiety were associated with more frequent victimization. Among adopted children, disclosure of adoption status showed a quadratic pattern: children who disclosed their status to a few friends reported lower victimization than those who disclosed it to nobody or to their entire class. No significant differences were found between children adopted by gay fathers and those adopted by heterosexual parents in adoption-related victimization, nor between adoption-related and parental sexual-orientation remarks among children with gay fathers. Overall, peer victimization appeared to be shaped more by socio-emotional characteristics and peer dynamics than by family structure.