Objective This study examined how the COVID-19 pandemic and associated social restrictions influenced the work-life balance of working-age adults in terms of gender equality.Background Increased occupational demands during the pandemic may have disrupted the balance between work and home life. For example, mandatory teleworking during the pandemic posed additional challenges and may have caused friction between work and personal commitments, obligations that enhanced gender disparities.Method Qualitative interview data were collected from 47 working-age adults from Portugal (aged between 30 and 61 years; 55% women) and analyzed using codebook thematic analysis.Results Two main themes were identified: (a) work and family conflicts (i.e., participants' conflicts between their work and family dimensions and the challenge of achieving a balance) and (b) disruptions to self, family, and social relationships during lockdown (i.e., interpersonal relationships during the lockdown periods).Conclusion Families struggled to achieve a balance between family and work, especially parents of young children, with women more impacted by the imbalance than men.Implications We hope that this work will encourage stakeholders to consider appropriate strategies for addressing work and family conflicts. Initiatives aimed at strengthening gender equity are encouraged.

Objective: This study validated the multicultural adaptation of the Questionnaire of Prejudice towards Childfree People (QPCF) and examined cross-cultural differences in prejudice. Background: Prejudice towards childfree individuals (who comprise up to 22% of the population) is a critical issue. Because this group experiences stigmatisation and negative attitudes that impact their well-being, it is essential to develop cross-culturally validated tools to explore these dynamics globally. Method: A convenience sample of 2,566 online participants (55% women) from seven countries (China, Czech Republic, Italy, Malaysia, Poland, Portugal, United Kingdom) completed the QPCF, Ambivalent Sexism Inventory, and Dehumanisation Scale. We utilised WLSMV CFA to verify structural validity and measurement invariance, while correlations and group differences were used to assess convergent and construct validity. Results: Analyses indicated that a revised, 8-item QPCF is best suited for cross-cultural use, demonstrating strong reliability, validity, and invariance across countries, genders, and parental status. Exploratory findings revealed that European participants reported lower prejudice than Asian participants. Furthermore, childless individuals exhibited significantly lower prejudice than parents, whereas the difference between men and women, while significant, lacked practical meaningfulness. Conclusion: The 8-item QPCF was successfully adapted across seven cultures, providing a robust foundation for international research. Future studies should further explore these cross-cultural disparities in prejudice. Implications: This research bridges empirical study with social advocacy, challenging pronatalist norms and highlighting the stigmatisation of alternative family structures.

Individuals who identify as LGBTQ+ may face significant challenges during adoption because legal inclusion does not guarantee that professionals are prepared to provide culturally competent and affirmative support. This study evaluates a theory-informed professional training intervention designed to enhance the capacity of adoption teams working with same-sex couples. Grounded in minority stress theory and affirmative practice principles, the 21-hour online program was delivered in Portugal following the legislation of same-sex adoption, responding to a prior assessment that showed a lack of training among professionals. Its effectiveness was evaluated among 45 participants using pre- and post-training measures. The results showed significant improvements in scientific knowledge and affirmative practice attitudes. No significant change was observed regarding support for equal rights, likely due to high baseline scores and the stability of socio-political views compared to domain-specific professional skills. Ultimately, the study contributes an evaluated model of LGBTQ+ affirmative training for adoption services and suggests that future research incorporate larger samples and controlled waiting-list designs.

Transgender and nonbinary people's experiences are distinct from cisgender people's experiences, and relatively little is known with respect to their desire for parenthood or to remain childfree. This study aimed to explore aspirations about parenthood among fifteen trans men and women (n = 7) and nonbinary adults (n = 8) without children from Italy, adopting a life course theory approach. Employing thematic analysis, we identified three overarching themes: (1) navigating obstacles that excluded the choice of parenthood; (2) encountering violence and stigma; and (3) future possibilities for transgender and nonbinary parenthood. Results showed that transgender and nonbinary people's parenthood aspirations were hampered by violence, stigma, and difficulties with affirming and care pathways. Participants saw themselves as being potentially competent to be parents. However, they experienced challenges to their aspirations living in a society that rejected their personal ideas about what a family is supposed to be. Although twelve participants desired or considered parenthood, they did not imagine this to be a realistic option. Many of them thought about becoming parents in a different country, through adoption, and of negotiating parenthood outside of limits imposed by binarism, within safe and creative spaces.

The COVID-19 pandemic had a marked detrimental effect on the mental health of the UK population. Parents with dependent children were deemed vulnerable but research on parental mental health in this period neglected to examine a child’s age together with the presence of social support. To inform potential mental health support strategies this study investigated whether the pandemic was associated with different levels of psychological wellbeing for parents with youngest children of varying ages, relative to socio-demographic factors and social support levels. From November 2020 to April 2021 n = 915 UK adults completed an online survey measuring self-reported symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress, satisfaction with life, social support and socio-demographic characteristics. Results provide some evidence of better psychological wellbeing for parents with younger children (aged 0 to 5 years) than older children. Overall, social support was a key factor in mitigating depression, anxiety, and stress scores for parents of dependent-aged children. Findings provide new evidence supporting Pearlin’s Stress Process Model, highlighting the importance of social support to parents under pandemic-related pressures. These findings indicate that one way of safeguarding parents vulnerable to poor mental health could be by increasing social support to parents via formal and informal support services within school communities.

To address the holistic and continuity of care needs of people who attend North East hospitals frequently for alcohol-related reasons, Recovery Navigator (Navigator) roles were introduced into Alcohol Care Teams in six hospitals in the North East of England, UK, in 2022. The Navigators aimed to provide dedicated holistic support to patients experiencing alcohol harms, starting whilst in the hospital with the potential to continue this beyond discharge. This qualitative study explores the contributions that the Navigators make towards integrated alcohol care. Twenty-five semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 7 patients, 1 carer, and 17 staff. We used reflexive thematic analysis and applied the concept of continuity of care and Self-Determination Theory. The findings suggest that all of the participants value Navigators having dedicated time to work with patients to address their social needs, that patients benefit from having someone who provides relational support and is ‘gently persistent’, and that most of the Navigators have good relationships with community providers and have supported the transition of patients to these services. Staff recognise the challenges of holistic alcohol care in hospitals, and the support of the Alcohol Care Teams and Navigators is seen as invaluable. Navigators help to address gaps in the provision of holistic support for patients who experience significant health inequalities.

The study's objective was to examine how 25 children in "open adoption" placements: 12 children (5-11 years old) and 13 adolescents (12-18 years old) represented and discussed their family connections in different family types, including gay, lesbian, bisexual, and heterosexual-parented families. Children were interviewed and completed two visual depictions of their family relationships: (1) the Kinetic Family Drawing [KFD], and (2) the Apple Tree Family [ATF]. Interview data were quantified to consider four axes of family depiction: (1) Number, (2) Inclusion, (3) Order, and (4) Closeness to family members. Children included significantly fewer family members on the KFD than on the ATF. All children included adoptive parents on both measures while 17% included birth parents on the KFD and 47% on the ATF. Children tended to first include adoptive family members on the KFD and the ATF and positioned themselves closer to their adoptive family than to their birth parents on both. No significant differences between family types (Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual vs. Heterosexual Parent/s) were found. The KFD captures the quality of family relationships whereas the ATF encourages depiction of a wide array of family connections. Our findings point to similar good parent-child relationships across lesbian, gay, and heterosexual parented adoptive families.

AIMS/BACKGROUND:Limited research has examined family-building strategies among plurisexual individuals. Culture and gender are essential determinants of parenthood prospects among individuals with minoritized sexual identities. For plurisexual individuals, the partner's gender also seems to play a critical role. Our investigation aimed to explore cisgender plurisexual individuals' preferred paths to parenthood considering their country of origin, gender, and partner's gender. DESIGN/METHOD:We examined associations between preferred pathways to parenthood and country, gender, and partner's gender among 405 cisgender plurisexual individuals aged between 18 and 45 years (M = 25.76; SD = 5.57), from Portugal (n = 140; 34.9%), Israel (n = 78; 19.3%), Poland (n = 85; 21%), and the UK (n = 102; 25.2%). RESULTS:Overall, couple adoption and sexual intercourse were the most chosen pathways to parenthood, and self-insemination and co-parenting were the least chosen. Participants from Poland and the United Kingdom were less likely to choose artificial insemination, single adoption, and self-insemination than their Portuguese counterparts. Women were more likely than men to choose artificial insemination. Individuals in different-gender relationships were more likely to choose sexual intercourse as a means of having children than were those in same-gender relationships, and the opposite was true for artificial insemination. CONCLUSION:Country, gender, and the partner's gender influence plurisexual individuals' choice of some parenthood pathways. Psychological and reproductive counselling should consider these aspects.

Os diferentes movimentos de reivindicação de direitos legais e sociais por parte da comunidade LGBTQIAPN+ não só influenciaram mudanças sociolegais, como também desafiaram conceitos social e cientificamente enraizados e enviesados pela heterocisnormatividade (Santos, 2006). Aqui, surge o conceito de “minoria” ou “população minoritária”, não só pelo número exato de pessoas que se autoidentificam como LGBTQIAPN+, mas sobretudo pela vulnerabilidade à qual essas pessoas estão sujeitas, que as coloca em desvantagem social (Meyer, 2003; Perkins; Wiley, 2014). Apesar de algumas mudanças positivas nas atitudes concernentes às minorias sexuais (Flores, 2019), a discriminação em função da orientação sexual e da identidade de gênero permanece nos mais variados contextos e em relação aos mais variados domínios, inclusive ao da parentalidade (Bayrakdar; King, 2021; Biasutti et al., 2022;

Objective This study explored communication about children's origins among same-gender parent adoptive families.Background Although this topic has been widely researched among different-gender parent adoptive families, communication about origins among those with same-gender parents, as well as sexual minority identity dynamics relevant to this crucial task, remain unexplored.Method A sample of same-gender adoptive couples (N = 31) from Belgium, France, and Spain with children aged between 4 and 18 years (M-age = 8.9 years) participated in a semistructured interview and a graphic projective test aimed at explore their feelings and communication process about their adopted child's birth family.Results Inductive thematic analysis yielded a continuum of three main stances conveyed by adoptive parents regarding their child's origins: (a) critical/minimization, (b) cautious/uncertainty, and (c) open/validation. The first (critical/minimization) was associated with experiences of sexual minority stigma and poorer communication about children's origins and sexual minority family-related issues, while the second (cautious/uncertainty) was characterized by mixed feelings (i.e., at times open, at times critical) in communicating about origins and parents' sexual minority experiences. The third (open/validation) was associated with positive feelings toward adoptive and sexual minority family statuses, as well as identity integration as a lesbian or gay parent and low internalized sexual stigma.Conclusion Our findings underline the importance of sexual minority identity issues in relation to communication about children's origins in same-gender parent adoptive families.Implications These findings have important implications for both adoption assessment and therapeutic work with same-gender adoptive parent families.

Studies have emphasized the importance of social support in mitigating the relationship between psychological distress and mental health effects, with family of origin and family of formation providing key sources of social support over the life course. However, LGBTQ+ people may experience family of origin relationships as a source of distress, while partners and friends may buffer the relationship between minority stress and psychological wellbeing. Through our online survey (March-June 2022), which was conducted when the social restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic were lifted in the UK, we considered the association between psychological wellbeing and sources of social support by sampling n = 1330 LGBTQ+ and cisgender heterosexual adults. LGBTQ+ adults generally experienced poorer psychological wellbeing outcomes than did cisgender heterosexual people. For LGBTQ+ adults, social support from family of origin, a special person, or friends was not associated with depression, anxiety, or stress levels, but social support from family or a special person was positively associated with higher levels of life satisfaction. Our findings indicate the importance of considering negative as well as positive wellbeing.

Introduction Increased rates of mental health issues among LGBTQ+ people have been reported during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly among young people. Method Semi-structured interviews were conducted in 2021 with 61 young adult LGBTQ+ people residing in France, Italy, Portugal, Sweden, and the UK. Each interview was summarized on a template covering the participants’ experiences of pandemic restrictions, mental health, and minority stress during this period. A thematic analysis was conducted on the templates. Results The pandemic restrictions had a large impact on the participants’ lives, leaving them stuck at home. Not having access to the LGBTQ+ community was an additional stress, as this is a venue for support. Half of the participants had suffered from mental health issues during the pandemic. Those who were living in non-affirmative households had a particularly difficult time and experienced overwhelming stress. Increased feelings of gender dysphoria were seen among trans participants due to the lack of access to gender-affirming healthcare. Most participants experienced less distal minority stress than usual due to social isolation restrictions. Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic and the associated social restrictions had a large impact on the lives of LGBTQ+ young adults. Many experience worse mental health, although relief from distal minority stress was common. Policy Implications Policy makers must consider the needs of LGBTQ+ young adults as they seek to explore and establish their gender and/or sexual identity. During a pandemic, it is particularly important to help young LGBTQ+ people to engage with the LGBTQ+ community.

Purpose This study aims to explore the experiences of living through the COVID-19 pandemic for people who faced homelessness and dealt with mental health and/or substance use challenges. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative study was comprised of 26 1:1 interviews (16 men and 10 women), conducted between February and May 2021 with people who experienced homelessness in North East England during the COVID-19 pandemic. An inductive reflexive thematic analysis was undertaken, with input from individuals with lived experience who were involved throughout the study. Findings Four themes were developed. The first theme, lack of support and exacerbation of mental health and substance use difficulties, highlighted how the lack of in-person support and increased isolation and loneliness led to relapses or new challenges for many people’s mental health and substance use. The second theme, uncertainty and fear during the pandemic, explored how the “surreal” experience of the pandemic led to many people feeling uncertain about the future and when things would return to normal. The third theme, isolation and impacts on social networks, discussed how isolation and changes to relationships also played a role in mental health and substance use. Finally, opportunity for reflection and self-improvement for mental health and substance use, explored how some people used the isolated time to re-evaluate their recovery journey and focus on self-improvement. Practical implications The experiences shared within this study have important implications for planning the future delivery and commissioning of health and social care services for people facing homelessness, such as sharing information accessibly through clear, consistent and simple language. Originality/value As one of the few papers to involve people with lived experience as part of the research, the findings reflect the unique narratives of this population with a focus on improving services.

Minimal research has explored how nonbinary people narrate past and present family relationships and their family building desires, despite growing awareness of the distinct needs of nonbinary people. Five nonbinary young adults (aged 22-30 years) participated in a semi-structured interview and family mapping exercise (FME). Visual and verbal qualitative findings were analyzed using thematic analysis with a life course theory lens (Elder, 1998). All participants reported challenging relationships with their family of origin, emphasizing experiences of emotional distance and invalidation plus concealment of their gender identity. Friends and chosen family networks - particularly within the LGBTQ+ community - compensated for emotional needs left unmet by family of origin. Most participants envisaged a childfree future family life and were not currently interested in parenting. Parenthood was conceptualized as a series of challenges linked to a complex array of life course considerations, particularly in relation to family background and risks associated with gender dysphoria, misgendering, and other challenges related to being a nonbinary parent. Although their current conditions did not support nonbinary parenthood, most participants considered that parenthood might be a future option if their context and circumstances changed.

Older adults were found to be the most susceptible group to suffer the physical health consequences of a COVID-19 infection and were considered vulnerable to the negative effects of the lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic, yet unlike many young adults did not generally experience an increased rate of mental health problems. Our study explored the strategies older adults in Portugal deployed during the mandatory lockdowns in 2020 and 2021. Qualitative interview data were collected with 22 older adults in relatively good health (aged between 66 and 92 years old; 36

This study explored cisgender heterosexual adults' perceptions of children placed in an adoptive family led by a couple with a transgender partner. Participants (n = 871) read one of five vignettes in which a couple (a cisgender different-gender couple, a cisgender same-gender male couple, a cisgender same-gender female couple, a couple with a female transgender partner, or a couple with a male transgender partner) intended to adopt two children. After reading the vignette, participants rated beliefs about children's psychological development, willingness to support the adoption, and completed an attitude toward LGBTQ rights scale. Moderation analyses revealed that participants with low levels of support for LGBTQ rights perceived children adopted by couples with a transgender partner as being at greater risk of victimization and poor psychological adjustment compared to children adopted by either cisgender same-gender couples or cisgender different-gender couples and were less inclined to endorse adoption. A multigroup path analysis model revealed that support for LGBTQ rights impacted on agreement with adoption via the mediation of participants' concerns for children's psychological adjustment more strongly regarding transgender parents than cisgender same-gender couples. Our findings demonstrated that cis-heteronormativity concerns eclipsed claims to reproductive justice for transgender people seeking parenthood.

This qualitative evidence synthesis informs intervention development by systematically searching, evaluating and synthesizing qualitative studies on fatherhood in the context of heavy drinking and other substance use. We searched seven databases, grey literature and reference lists to identify eligible studies. Our international sample includes 156 fathers of different ages, cultural backgrounds and family living arrangements across 14 unique studies. The lead author applied thematic synthesis to develop the themes, in an ongoing dialogue with team members. Our understanding of fatherhood in the context of heavy drinking and other substance use is communicated through six themes. Fathers' heavy drinking and other substance use can be understood as a method of emotional coping. Fathers' substance use choices are intertwined with their social contexts from childhood to adulthood. Being a safe presence in children's lives is a potentially overlooked aspect of fathers' substance use interventions. In our qualitative evidence synthesis, we observed the pivotal role of supportive relationships in fathers' substance use trajectories. We recommend co-produced intervention development that considers both fathers as individuals and as members of social networks. This is relevant across statutory, community and voluntary sector settings.

Abstract Background Older adults are one of the most vulnerable groups to severe illness associated with the SARS-COV-2 virus. Therefore, it would be expected that the elderly would suffer great impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their mental health. However, it seems not to be the case, possibly due to contextual aspects and the strategies used by them to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Our study aimed at exploring the strategies older adults in Portugal deployed during the mandatory lockdowns in 2020 and 2021 to protect their mental health. Methods A total of 22 older adults were interviewed and included in this study (36% women; age range between 66 and 92 years old). Qualitative data was collected through semi-structured interviews between Jan-Sept 2020 and analysed according to codebook thematic analysis. Results Three main themes were identified. The first theme - ‘finding things to do and activities that can protect me’ - referred to behavioural coping strategies adopted to deal with the pandemic (e.g., preventing behaviours to avoid COVID-19 infection, social support). The second theme - ‘identifying how my thoughts can protect me’ - encompassed cognitive coping strategies, such as engaging in meaning-making processes to make sense out of the circumstances. Finally, the third theme - ‘counting myself lucky: me and my home advantages’ - included aspects perceived as beneficial to the wellbeing of participants during lockdowns (e.g., being healthy, living in a rural area). Conclusions The thematic strategies identified by older adults to manage the pandemic and lockdown-related stresses could be linked to meaning-centred coping and could be further developed via existential therapy. Key messages • As older adults with health problems and living in urban areas may be at a disadvantage when facing lockdowns, they should be identified by government health entities and forward to psychologists. • The efficacy of preventing behaviours to avoid COVID-19 dissemination, distraction, social support, and meaning-making processes during health hazards should be targeted by treatment programmes.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with poor mental health symptoms, particularly among vulnerable populations such as LGBTQ+ individuals. In the present study, we aimed to (i) identify different psychological adjustment profiles among LGBTQ+ young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic and compare LGBTQ+ young adults in relation to (ii) sociodemographic characteristics and COVID-19-related experiences and (iii) the internal and external protective resources associated with each adjustment profile. An online questionnaire was administered to 1699 LGBTQ+ young adults from six countries (Brazil, Chile, Italy, Portugal, Sweden, and the UK). A cluster analysis was conducted, and four profiles of psychological adjustment were identified: unchallenged, resilient, distressed, and at-risk. The at-risk cluster scored lowest in social support (particularly from family). The profiles of participants who experienced the highest levels of pandemic adversity (at-risk and resilient) comprised mostly South American participants, those under lockdown at the time of survey completion, those who self-identified as transgender and non-binary, and those with a plurisexual sexual orientation. Interventions should consider strategies to help young adults maintain support systems and reinforce the value of positive family relationships. Specific groups within the LGBTQ+ community that seem to be in a particularly vulnerable situation may need additional tailored support.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to major restrictions of everyday life activities. This worsened the social situation of many people, and marginalized groups have been especially affected. This article explores how LGBTQ+ young adults in Sweden have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent recommendations and restrictions. Fifteen participants between 20-29 years, who self-identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+), were interviewed about their experiences. A thematic analysis of the data showed that the participants perceived their psychological wellbeing to have been greatly affected by the pandemic. Several reported symptoms of clinical depression, as well as anxiety, worry, rumination, and a heightened sensitivity to stress. Stressors included fear of the disease itself, and fear of spreading the virus, as well as the negative consequences of adhering to the recommendations of social distancing, which constantly interplayed with the marginalized position of being a young LGBTQ+ person. Most participants experienced a decrease in minority stress in face-to-face interaction with social distancing measures in place, but an increase in minority stress online. Those who faced minority stress at home experienced the isolation as particularly stressful. Limited access to the LGBTQ+ community was a common stressor. For transgender participants, the effects on transgender healthcare, such as prolonged waiting times for gender dysphoria assessment and hormone treatment, were a major challenge. Our results have added valuable knowledge to research indicating how vulnerable young adults were highly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.