Abstract
A purposive sample of 34 lesbian and 47 traditional mothers was located in the Denver-Fort Collins area. This pilot study was designed to determine if statistically significant differences existed between the two groups of mothers on measures of maternal attitude and self-concept. The Adult Response to Child Behavior, a set of slides of children's behaviors and set responses, provided an indicator of adult-, task-, and child-centered attitudes. Three personality aggregates, self-confidence, dominance, and nurturance, were computed from responses to the Adjective Checklist, a 300-item self-administered, self-evaluative instrument. Chi-square analyses confirmed that: there is no difference in response to children's behavior by lesbian and traditional mothers nor in self-concept of lesbian and traditional mothers. This conclusion can be generalized only to the subjects and instruments used in the present study. Further research is needed to provide a data base on interaction of lesbian mothers and children. It seems probable that lesbian and traditional mothers are more similar than different in maternal attitudes and self-concept.