Through this interview, the author explores the nuanced perspective of distinguished expert Professor Ruth Vanita on gender and sexuality, same-sex marriage, motherhood, and love in India. She shares her research, work, and experiences of motherhood, offering a unique perspective on how mothering works for women of all sexual orientations and providing an opportunity to consider various viewpoints in the current discussion surrounding lesbian motherhood. The conversation highlights the contrasting perspectives on lesbianism, same-sex relationships, and motherhood, while critically examining the regulatory influence of heterosexual norms on family and mothers, drawing on analogies from ancient Indian stories and testimonies.
This qualitative study analyzes fifty anonymized posts from Palestinian Facebook support groups to understand how women rebuild identity and assert agency after divorce. Thematic analysis revealed six key themes: the need for self care, catalysts for separation, verbal and emotional abuse, conflicted love, supportive communities, and financial autonomy. The findings show that digital solidarity and economic empowerment facilitate decision making and self determination. This research highlights the need for accessible psychological counseling, legal advocacy recognizing emotional abuse, and tailored financial services, showing how women in conservative societies manage severe social stigma to reclaim their dignity and build independent new lives.
Digital coercive control has become a routine infrastructure of intimate partner domination, yet it is still easily misrecognized in couple and family therapy as a solvable problem of trust, jealousy, or mutually negotiated transparency. Using a feminist family therapy lens, this article argues that technology-facilitated tactics - tracking, credential capture, device administration, impersonation, and reputation manipulation - should be assessed as patterned liberty restrictions rather than isolated "online incidents." Drawing on current scholarship and clinical practice concerns, the article integrates a focused literature review, clinician guidance for therapists with limited technology knowledge, recommendations for keeping current with rapidly evolving platforms, illustrative assessment questions, and a case vignette showing how the Safety-Repair Protocol can be used in practice. The protocol guides clinicians through (a) competency-aware preparation; (b) power-attentive, private screening; (c) systemic mapping of the family's digital ecosystem; (d) risk-based decisions about conjoint versus individual formats; (e) stabilization and digital safety planning; and (f) accountability criteria that must be met before any "repair" work proceeds. The model is designed to reduce false symmetry, prevent therapeutic collusion, and strengthen socially responsible practice across diverse cultural contexts in telehealth, hybrid, and in-person care.
Although the widespread adoption of tubectomies has contributed to reducing fertility rates in India, it has also resulted in significant reproductive health challenges. This paper investigates two such interrelated issues: inadequate birth spacing and the decreasing age at which women undergo tubectomies. Using qualitative research techniques, the paper shows how Indian women are reluctant to use reversible modern contraceptives as they disrupt regular menstruation, which further causes them to feel anxious about their fertility status. Coupled with a lack of willingness among men to use condoms, women instead opt for natural contraceptive methods, often leading to unplanned pregnancies and low inter-pregnancy intervals. As a final reprieve from frequent birthing, women who have their first child in their adolescence decide to undergo a tubectomy in their early 20s. Ultimately, this paper argues for reorienting reproductive health policy in India away from fertility control and toward prioritizing reproductive health and rights-based issues.
This paper investigates the intricate dynamics of female friendship and homoeroticism in the Japanese anime NANA, focusing on protagonists Nana Komatsu and Nana Osaki as complex feminist figures. Through a close reading of their internal monologues and dialogues, the study examines how cisheteropatriarchal societal pressures shape their identities and relationships. Employing Adrienne Rich's concepts of compulsory heterosexuality and the lesbian continuum, the analysis reveals the protagonists' struggles with love, jealousy, and economic constraints. Additionally, the paper explores themes of chosen family and emotional resilience, highlighting how these elements redefine traditional concepts of kinship and belonging. Engaging with the unfinished narrative of NANA, this study encourages a nuanced understanding of queer identities and relationships, emphasizing the potential for feminist frameworks to encompass diverse expressions of love and connection.
Narcissistic personality traits in a partner can profoundly destabilize romantic relationships, often leading to their eventual dissolution. This research utilizes a qualitative framework to explore the lived experiences of women involved with narcissistic men. The study analyzed 18 case studies gathered through semi-structured interviews to understand the impact on relationship quality, self-esteem, and emotional intelligence. Participants were women aged 25-38 in relationships of 2 years and above. In the second phase, 5 women continued counseling sessions. Findings reveal low relationship satisfaction, significant self-doubt, emotional dysregulation, and "dark experiences," contributing to Trauma Bonding and Feminist theories.
This study explored the lived experiences of birthing persons who have received abortion care. Despite abortions being a common procedure, literature shows a dearth of information related to the perspectives of those receiving care. Our research study consisted of nine semi-structured, in-depth interviews. After transcription and the initial coding stage, four broad categories emerged: decision-making, abortion care process, identity, and sexual well-being. Examples of themes include precarious access, pressure from friends and family, rushed decision-making, stigma, and isolation. Results speak to the nuances and stigma of abortion care. The paper ends with implications for therapists in Marriage and Family Therapy.
Many transgender and nonbinary people have been part of religious communities and/or were raised by someone with Christian religious beliefs, thus family therapists need to be prepared to work with transgender and nonbinary people from religious backgrounds and their families. We explored Christian pastors' advice for how family therapists can work more competently with clients with marginalized gender identities. Nineteen religious leaders were interviewed. A queer theory-informed thematic analysis revealed four themes: (1) Know Gender Inclusive Faith Resources, (2) Practice Gender Affirming Therapy, (3) Attune to the Religious Context of Clients, and (4) Support Families in Their Journeys.
As infertility affects one in seven couples, emerging research shows that any individual can experience trauma symptoms in response to infertility and reproductive loss. Despite the prevalence, research on trauma symptoms within couples experiencing infertility or reproductive loss remains limited. Guided by PRISMA guidelines, the purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic research synthesis of empirical evidence on trauma symptoms in couples facing infertility and reproductive loss. A systematic search of peer-reviewed literature published between June 1, 2012, and July 29, 2025, identified 14 eligible studies. Results showed that couples navigating infertility or reproductive loss consistently reported trauma symptoms that differed by gender, were correlated between partners, and intersected with relational outcomes. Broader cultural and contextual factors also shaped how couples adjusted to reproductive loss and infertility. The SRS highlights how infertility and reproductive loss are a systemic process that disrupts both individual and relational functioning. Therapists can strengthen care by adopting trauma-informed, couple-centered approaches.
Recent changes in abortion law have created a need to study how these changes may affect risky sexual behaviors among emerging adults. This study investigated whether abortion attitudes and political identity predict risky sexual behavior of emerging adults while accounting for permissive sexual attitudes. Forty-one unmarried emerging adults were recruited through snowballing and convenience sampling. Results revealed that a more conservative political identity was a significant predictor of risky sexual behavior while accounting for permissive sexual attitudes, whereas abortion attitudes were significant on their own. The implications of the study are discussed, including how risky sexual behaviors among emerging adults. Other strategies to mitigate abortion rates and risky sexual behaviors can be utilized to promote the physical, sexual, and mental health of emerging adults.
Existing eating disorder research and treatment has often failed to address eating disorders in people in larger bodies. The present study utilized Reflexive Thematic Analysis to explore impact of experiences of weight stigma in people in larger bodies who are recovering from eating-related distress. The study consisted of semi-structured interviews yielding results comprised of four themes and 16 subthemes, all focusing on the impact of family and partner relationships and how these intersect with weight stigma. These findings highlight the importance of understanding the pervasive and lasting impact that family relationships have on people in larger bodies.
Across the United States, executive orders and legislative actions restricting gender-affirming care for transgender and gender-expansive (TGE) youth under the age of 19 have created psychological, medical, and familial trauma. These actions deny access to critical medical interventions, including puberty blockers and hormone therapy, disrupting evidence-based, healthcare plans that align with best practices in adolescent health. The consequences of these restrictions extend far beyond physical and mental health facilities, profoundly affecting the well-being of youth, their families, and the professionals striving to provide ethical, evidence-based care. The authors of this manuscript hope to add productive dialogue in response to these setbacks with areas of consideration to address with our clients in various settings. The authors recommend that we address the trauma of restricted care, rebuild trust with the healthcare community, and engage in appropriate advocacy strategies on behalf of this community.
This article examines the issue of gender equality in Kazakhstani society and analyzes the role and status of women in the contemporary socio- cultural space. It explores how young people in Kazakhstan perceive gender equality, family roles, and gender perceptions in religion. The study uses a cross-sectional quantitative design based on a sociological survey of 380 participants aged 18-35 and compares the findings with recent state-sponsored sociological research. The results show that youth view gender equality as insufficiently developed and constrained by social, religious, and traditional factors, although most respondents recognize its importance in both society and family life.
In this article, we examine the possibilities and limitations of collaborative-dialogical therapeutic models in addressing the issue of power in family therapy. We argue that such approaches would be insufficient if therapists merely facilitate dialogue with a not-knowing attitude, as this risks turning therapy into a mirrored room of dominant discourses - ultimately reproducing the power asymmetries that exist in society. To avoid this situation, therapists working within a collaborative-dialogical framework must remain aware of the broader socio-political context and the dynamics of power, steering the therapeutic process in a way that challenges dominant discourses through meaningful dialogue with the clients.
This paper examines Baby Reindeer (2024), a semi-autobiographical Netflix series, as a trauma narrative that challenges dominant understandings of male victimhood, coercive relationships, and public disclosure. Drawing on narrative inquiry, trauma theory, and systemic therapy, the analysis explores how Donny's fragmented narration reflects shame, memory disruption, and emotional vulnerability. Trauma bonding is conceptualized as a dynamic process shaped by emotional intensity, coercion, and unmet relational needs. The paper further examines how gendered norms and systemic failures silence male survivors, complicate disclosure, disrupt intimacy, and raise ethical tensions surrounding public trauma storytelling.
The present study offers a methodological review and content analysis of peer-reviewed articles about or related to the experiences of intentionally childfree individuals. This analysis offered 210 articles across varied domestic and international regions. The data revealed that some of the most common topics of focus of these articles were: reasons for being childfree, stereotypes and stigma, pronatalism, and gender issues. Regarding methodological constraints, the data revealed a substantial lack of inclusion of diverse identities and demographic characteristics, with most studies focusing on cisgender women while generally failing to report other sample characteristics altogether (i.e. sexual orientation, religious affiliation). Overall, our findings emphasize that intentionally childfree experiences remain an understudied topic in social sciences. Furthermore, our findings begin to capture the relevant gaps in the present research that are worthy of further attention for future studies of non-traditional family structures and the experiences of the intentionally childfree.
Grief and loss are frequently viewed with dread and are subject to denial in Western culture. In comic books and superhero movies, happy endings and the "retcon," or narrative erasure of the demise of characters, render death not-so-final and infinitely more deniable. Further, loss serves as a cinematic trope to move the plot line forward. This article explores the way that grief, and therapy, are and are not represented in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and focuses on two notable exceptions, a support group in Avengers: Endgame, and relationship therapy in the series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Through a feminist lens, the authors investigate the ways in which relational therapy is portrayed in the MCU with superheroes struggling with grief and loss up on the screen and how this translates to viewers here in the real world. Therapeutic use of curated video clips depicting superheroes' struggles in order to facilitate clients' processing of grief and loss as well as a training tool for clinicians is discussed.
