Study: Homosexuality Linked with Childhood Trauma

LifeSiteNews.com ^ | July 27, 2010 | By James Tillman

[topher]

Tuesday July 27, 2010

---

Study: Homosexuality Linked with Childhood Trauma

By James Tillman

DUNEDIN, New Zealand, July 26, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) -- A recent Otago University study has found that homosexual or bisexual individuals are more likely to have undergone a variety of of traumas in childhood, including sexual assault, rape, violence, and witnessing violence in the home.

"People who either identify themselves as homosexual or bisexual, or have had a same-sex encounter or relationship, tend to come from more disturbed backgrounds," said Research Associate Professor Elisabeth Wells.

The study analyzed results from a New Zealand Mental Health study that surveyed about 13,000 people between 2003 and 2004.  98% of the participants in the study identified themselves as heterosexual; 0.8% identified as homosexual; 0.6% identified as bisexual; and 0.3% identified as "something else."

Of people who reported certain traumatic childhood events, 15% were not heterosexual; of those without such experiences, only 5% were not heterosexual, suggesting that such experiences tripled the chance of later professing homosexual or bisexual inclinations.

Some homosexualist leaders took issue with the study's findings: Tony Simpson, chairman of the national homosexualist group Rainbow Wellington, said that the research should not be taken to mean that homosexuals are not born that way. "I have no doubt that the religious right will leap to the conclusion that this goes to show conclusively that homosexuals are made rather than born," he said.

Wells attempted to assuage fears over the study's conclusions.

"I suspect there might be some gay and lesbian people who will be indignant, but it is not my intention to anger them," she said.  "You could say that if someone was sexually abused as a child, chooses to live as a homosexual and lives life well, then that is not a bad thing.  But if they are living a homosexual life and regretting it, that is another matter."

Although sexual or physical abuse in childhood was associated with adult homosexuality, other traumatic experiences, such as the sudden death of a loved one or serious childhood illness or accident, were only slightly associated with non-heterosexual identity or behaviour.

Of females who self-identified as homosexual, more than 40% had been married and had children, whereas 13% of male homosexuals had done so.  Over 80% of those who identified as bisexual were women.

The association between child abuse and later homosexual identification is not young.  

One 1992 study found that 37% of homosexual and bisexual men attending sexually transmitted disease clinics had been encouraged or forced to have sexual contact before age 19 with an older or more powerful partner.  The median age of first contact was 10 years old.

URL: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/jul/10072701.html

---

Copyright © LifeSiteNews.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License. You may republish this article or portions of it without request provided the content is not altered and it is clearly attributed to "LifeSiteNews.com". Any website publishing of complete or large portions of original LifeSiteNews articles MUST additionally include a live link to www.LifeSiteNews.com. The link is not required for excerpts. Republishing of articles on LifeSiteNews.com from other sources as noted is subject to the conditions of those sources.

[netmilsmom]

Hey my FRiend, if you want to believe that Swans use the same emotions picking a mate as you do, you be my guest. But seriously, they are not picking a mate, they are picking their right to procreate.

However, I’ll tell you this, because you can use your fingers to type, you are more intelligent than any of them. Including the liberals. Don’t belittle yourself.

[SonOfDarkSkies]

Hey my FRiend, if you want to believe that Swans use the same emotions picking a mate as you do

SAME EMOTIONS? Where did you get that?

Howard? Howard Dean, is that you?

Do you just make things up as you go along?

BTW you might want to reconsider the idea that you are intellectually superior to animals...your lack of logic, your conflation of unrelated issues, and intellectual dishonesty make it highly unlikely that you could survive in the wild for more than an afternoon.

[netmilsmom]

>>BTW you might want to reconsider the idea that you are intellectually superior to animals...your lack of logic, your conflation of unrelated issues, and intellectual dishonesty make it highly unlikely that you could survive in the wild for more than an afternoon. <<

Bless your heart!

[nomad]

Oh, you mean they got into it via some back door method?

[word_warrior_bob]

The pre-natal hormone study supposedly affecting homosexuality has been totally discredited. I’ve seen it mentioned a couple of times on this thread, just like once a year there a news story “Gay Gene Found?”

Never has, never will.

[massmike]

Darn!I’m starting to get a reputation here!LOL
But since I was invited.......

http://www.mygenes.co.nz/

[Mrs. Don-o]

That's interesting. Could you give me a link? I haven't checked out all the footnote reference in this article linking hormones and sexual orientation, but a quick glance theat there have some finding to substantiate this.

I'm not sure if it's "the" cause, possibly one of a series of "tendencies" which can influence variation.

I'll get back to you if I find something .

[Snardius]

Some gay men blame it on how they were reared...

[stuartcr]

Does prenatal hormonal influence mean someone could be born that way?

[stuartcr]

How is murder and homo/hetero sexuality even similar? You may as well as if a persons choice in vehicle color is genetically-caused.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Born "that way"?

If you mean "born gay," the answer is no. "Gay" entails cooperation with a homosexual tendency: and cooperation means choice.

If you mean "born with a homosexual tendency," the answer is yes. It could be a strong or a weak tendency, it could be transient or persistent, but prenatal hormones definitely influence gendered differences, including bodily and brain development and sexual attraction which involves a physiological response.

This does not amount to behavior determination. It's more like a temperament. In an analogous way, a person may tend to be excitable, or placid; cheerful, or melancholic; energetic or lethargic; reckless or cautious, etc. This tendency does not determine the person's action in every case: but it influences him.

[stuartcr]

Influenced temperament, born with a tendency...but not beviorally determinant. OK, thanks

[longtermmemmory]

trauma = treatment

homosexualists can’t have that.

[longtermmemmory]

I doubt the last portion of you statement. Given the “stimulus/response” nature of sexual arousal then it just goes to demonstrate a learned response.

If a child is a slow learner then perhaps the natural learning process has been compromised either by abuse or a maternal mental manipulation.

[longtermmemmory]

if sexual behavior (and the consequences) are “born that way” then what about:

people with animals?
people with fetishes regarding things?
pain?

it just a POLITICAL statement masqerading as science.

[Ol' Sparky]

How is murder and homo/hetero sexuality even similar?

Because you're putting forth a premise that one's genes make a person behave in a certain way. Instead of the devil compelling one to do something, it's one's genes that do so. The net effect of all that is negate absolute truth and personal responsibility, which an objective of leftists and secular humanists.

So, if genetics can cause one to have deviant sexual desires, why couldn't they give on a desire to violent and murder?

In fact, if you think am I just making up wild analogies, you're wrong because "scientists" have been trying to find a murder gene as well:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1004083,00.html

[word_warrior_bob]

Check this out.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/724179/posts

This site has some good info.

http://www.narth.com/

The prenatal hormone thing was one of the most recent “A-ha!, I think we found it” moments, one of numerous attempts. They’ve been desperately trying to prove that gays are “born”, they haven’t found anything yet and never will. If they could have proven the prenatal hormone thing you would have been hearing about it 24/7 for years now.

I had a Ivy League educated shrinker friend who would have been about 90 now if he was alive, he treated and cured homosexuals. Homosexuals who WANTED to change. Obviously, he was educated before this “modern” thinking about gays became vogue. The sad thing is these gays who say “why would I want this”, but refuse to accept that they can be cured because the whole PC crowd is so against this kind of treatment.

Like many of the anecdotes you see on this thread you can always trace a very likely or at least possible cause for homosexuality.

[Mrs. Don-o]

No, I don't think anyone's behavior is, strictly speaking, determined.

If tendency + impulse = determination of behavior, most males would be guilty of polygamy, and most females of homicide.

[Mrs. Don-o]

No, not sexual behavior. See my comment at #18, and tagline.

[stuartcr]

I guess we’ll never really know then, it’ll just be a matter of what one believes.