The objective of this study was to document the psychological adjustment of adolescents who were conceived through donor insemination by lesbian mothers who enrolled before these offspring were born in the largest, longest running, prospective, longitudinal study of same-sex–parented families. Adolescents who have been reared in lesbian-mother families since birth demonstrate healthy psychological adjustment. These findings have implications for the clinical care of adolescents and for pediatricians who are consulted on matters that pertain to same-sex parenting.

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US National Longitudinal Lesbian Family Study: Psychological Adjustment of 17-Year-Old Adolescents - eScholarship

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Elternschaft und Familie jenseits von Heteronormativität und Zweigeschlechtlichkeit

The censorship of death and dying has removed the "memento mori" practices, and in order to reintroduce this practice, some "Before I die" projects have been increasingly implemented. Running in parallel, in the syllabi of social service and psychology students, some experiences of death education has commenced. This study illustrates the results of a qualitative research conducted on the "Before I die I want to …" Polaroid® Project (BIDIWT), which is divided into two phases. The first phase entails an analysis of the wishes collected from the United States, Japan, India, and Italy. The second phase refers to the analysis of the captions of the BIDIWT realized from two groups of undergraduates, with regard to the effect of such experience on their religiosity, representation of death, and fear of death.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/2055102918809759

“Before I die I want to …”: An experience of death education among university students of social service and psychology

This article presents the results of a qualitative study aiming to consider the relationship between ambiguous loss and anticipatory mourning amongst relatives of missing people in Italy Eight people participated in the research, narrating their experiences of losing a beloved person (one found alive, three found dead, and four still missing) Findings suggest the presence of a particular form of ambiguous loss, characterised by traits typical of both prolonged and traumatic grief These findings describe how families are faced with an emotional vortex related to a never-ending wait, and how the mourning is solved only when the missing person is found dead or alive The discovery of a corpse is traumatic but it allows mourners to fully recognise their grief When a person is found, it changes the relationship in a positive way When neither of these events happen, mourners have two different kinds of reactions: they experience either a prolonged grief or a drive to solve their suffering by helping other people (post-traumatic growth) In this study, it is highlighted how a community can be useful or detrimental in this process, and the importance of psychological and social support to prevent significant clinical outcomes is stressed

https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/10/7/110/pdf

The Endless Grief in Waiting: A Qualitative Study of the Relationship between Ambiguous Loss and Anticipatory Mourning amongst the Relatives of Missing Persons in Italy.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the prevalence of potential problem gambling among Finnish prisoners; the associations between problem gambling and demographics, substance use and crime-related factors; and problem gamblers' support preferences. Design/methodology/approach Prisoners (n=96) from two Finnish prisons were recruited between December 2017 and January 2018. The estimated response rate was 31 percent. Gambling problems were measured using the Brief Biosocial Gambling Screen. The participants were asked to report their gambling both for one year prior to their incarceration and for the past year. The independent variables were demographics (age, gender and marital status), substance use (alcohol, smoking and narcotics) and crime-related factors (crime type, prison type and previous sentence). Statistical significance (p) was determined using Fischer's exact test. Findings Past-year pre-conviction problem gambling prevalence was 16.3 percent and past-year prevalence 15 percent. Age, gender, smoking, alcohol or illicit drug use were not associated with past-year problem gambling before sentencing. One-third of the prisoners (33.3 percent) who were sentenced for a property crime, financial crime or robbery were problem gamblers. One-quarter (24 percent) of all participants showed an interest in receiving support by identifying one or more support preferences. The most preferred type of support was group support in its all forms. Research limitations/implications It is recommended that correctional institutions undertake systematic screening for potential problem gambling, and implement tailored intervention programs for inmates with gambling problems. Originality/value This study provides a deeper understanding of problem gambling in prisons. Problem gambling is associated with crime and also seems to be linked with serving a previous sentence. Early detection and tailored interventions for problem gambling may help to reduce reoffending rates.

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Problem gambling and support preferences among Finnish prisoners: a pilot study in an adult correctional population

The Italian situation of lesbian women-parented families seems to be trapped between a deprivation of public and legal acknowledgment and the reality of everyday lives of lesbian women having children in a same-sex relationship context experiencing this ambivalence in their personal, familiar, and social existence. The aim of this study is to analyze the narratives of 17 lesbian mothers (10 biological mothers and seven social mothers) in order to outline the construction of their identities as parents, their affective relationships with the partner (social mother), and the relationships established with public agencies (school, neighborhood, family networks). Results show that lesbian maternity has strong political and social implications. In particular, our analysis underlines the libertarian extent of lesbian maternity paths, often based on equal roles and promoting the enlargement of the concepts of family. Our findings suggest that the lack of legal recognition has a threatening effect on the ...

Chiara Monti

Papers

Because Moms Say So: Narratives of Lesbian Mothers in Italy