Parenting and Couple Relationships Among LGBTQ+ People in Diverse Contexts

This book analyzes how the increasing number of same-sex couples is changing the traditional concepts of family and parenthood, and how these changes affect the psychological studies of family, couple relationships and human development. The majority of chapters included in this contributed volume present results of research conducted with LGBTQ+ people in Brazil, a country where same-sex couples have been recognized by the national legislation since 2011, but is currently facing a conservative wave which threatens much of the victories gained by the LGBTQ+ movement in recent years. That’s why this book aims to provide both updated theoretical and methodological contributions as well as ethically and political engaged reflections to the field of psychological studies of LGBTQ+ parenting and couple relationships.

Chapters in this volume analyze different aspects of LGBTQ+ parenting and couple relationships, such as changes in the concept of family; the role of the family of origin in the coming out process of young adults; risk and protective factors in couple relationships between lesbians and gay men; vulnerabilities experienced by trans couples during the COVID-19 pandemic; how lesbians, gays, trans and non-binaries are approaching parenting and raising their families; factors that shape the reproductive decisions of LGBTQ+ individuals; adoption and coparenting in families composed of gay and lesbian couples, among other topics.

Parenting and Couple Relationships Among LGBTQ+ People in Diverse Contexts will be of interest to social, developmental and family psychologists and social workers researching and working with same-sex couples and families, and with the LGBTQ+ population in general.

Chapter 1. Persistent issues for LGBTQ+ families.- Chapter 2. LGBTQ+ conjugalities: reviewing gender (un)certainties.- Chapter 3. Attitudes toward LGBTQ+ people and LGBTQ+ rights in Continental American Hispanic Nations.- Chapter 4. Coming out in families of gay and lesbian people.- Chapter 5. Lesbian families: intersection between internalized homophobia and old age.- Chapter 6. Couple Relationships in Sexual Minority Emerging Adults: Considerations on Risk and Protective Factors and Implications for Clinical Practice.- Chapter 7. Social Transformations and Couple Relationships in Brazilian Gay Men.- Chapter 8. Vulnerabilities experienced by trans couples in times of Covid-19.- Chapter 9. Resilience in families formed by same-sex couples.- Chapter 10. Methodological Strategies in Lesbian and Gay Parenting Research: A Systematic Review of Brazilian Scientific Literature.- Chapter 11. Social Work Practice with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Non-Binary (LGBTQ+) Parents.- Chapter 12. Building a Rainbow Family: Parenthood Aspirations of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Trans/Gender Diverse Individuals.- Chapter 13. “I want to have children too”: Reproductive motivations and decisions in the LGBTQ+ community.- Chapter 14. Justice system professionals and adoption by same-sex couples.- Chapter 15. (Homo)parenting: from the adoption process to the child’s arrival.- Chapter 16. Coparenting, Parenting, Affectivity and Conflict in Homoparental Families.- Chapter 17. Child Development in Families with Gay and Lesbian Parents and Beliefs about Homosexuality.

Normanda Araujo de Morais holds a PhD in Psychology from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, with a fellowship at the University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign, USA (2009).  She has held post-doctoral internships at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (2011). She is currently a Professor of the Graduate Program in Psychology at the University of Fortaleza and holds a Research Productivity grant of the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development  (CNPq), Brazil.  She is an affiliate Member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences - ABC (2020-2024). She was a member of the Board of Directors of the Brazilian Association of Developmental Psychology - ABPD (2013-2015; 2015-2017) and of the Board of Directors of the Brazilian Society of Psychology - SBP (2017-2019).

Fabio Scorsolini-Comin holds a PhD in Psychology from the University of São Paulo, Brazil, with a fellowship at the University of Porto, Portugal (2012).  He has held two post-doctoral internships at the University of São Paulo (2015 and 2017). He is currently a Senior Lecturer in Health Psychology at the University of São Paulo, in addition to being an Associate Professor of the Graduate Program in Psychiatric Nursing and the Interunit Doctoral Program in Nursing at the University of São Paulo at Ribeirão Preto College of Nursing, PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centre for Nursing Research Development. He is an Associate Member of the Brazilian Society of Psychology  - SBP and holds a Research Productivity grant of the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), Brazil.

Elder Cerqueira-Santos holds a PhD in Psychology from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, with a fellowship at The University of Nebraska, USA (2008).  In 2014 he got a post-doctoral internship in Sexuality at the University of Toronto, Canada. He has been a consultant for the World Childhood Foundation since 2003. He is currently a Professor of the Graduate Program in Psychology at the Federal University of Sergipe and holds a Research Productivity grant of the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), Brazil. He was Director-Treasurer of the National Association for Research and Graduate Studies in Psychology - ANPEPP (2012-2014; 2014-2016). Regional Coordinator (Brazil) of the International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development - ISSBD. Secretary Director of the Brazilian Association of Developmental Psychology – ABPD (2016-2018). Treasurer Director of the Brazilian Society of Psychology - SBP (2017-2019).