About this Research Topic
In the contemporary context, children and adolescents are raised and parents are exercising their parenting in increasingly different family configurations, such as late adoption, same-sex parenting, IVF families or surrogacy. What impact have these contemporary family configurations had on relational patterns, psychological outcomes, and psychosocial adjustment of both children and parents? Which are the specificities of these family configurations and what are the challenges they are encountering?
In recent years, innovative therapeutic support and mental health care, including group therapy, adoption therapy, multi-family therapy, transcultural therapy, as well as others, have emerged to address the peculiar issues these families are confronted with. For example, what is the impact of the children’s pre-adoptive trauma? Or of same-sex parenting, multiple loyalties, and of relations to the birth and adoptive families in the context of social media? It is important to examine how innovative mental health care settings can be best utilized to address these new challenges.
In the context of contemporary family configurations (e.g., adoptive families, same-sex parenting, single parenting, IVF procedures and surrogacy), this Research Topic aims to discuss the challenges encountered by children, adolescents and their parents regarding their psychological development, family relations, and social adaptation (i.e. pre-adoptive trauma, issues of psychological adjustment, experiences of racism, discrimination, and rejection), in order to promote their mental health and prevent mental disorders or disruptions of family relations. At the same time, the exploration of innovative mental health care settings can promote psychological, social and family outcomes in case of psychological suffering or difficulties in family relationships.
This Research Topic welcomes Original Research articles, systematic reviews, clinical trials, community case studies concerning adoptive, single parents, same-sex and IVF families. We are also interested in the therapeutic outcomes of those new mental health care settings.
Specific sub-themes of interest include the following:
• Pre-adoptive trauma;
• Family functioning in adoptive, same-sex and IVF families;
• Child-parent relations in adoptive, same-sex and IVF families;
• Psychological adjustment and outcomes of children in adoptive, same-sex and IVF families and mental health care settings;
• Focus-group research;
• Specific group-therapy;
• Transcultural therapy; and
• Multi-family therapy.
In recent years, innovative therapeutic support and mental health care, including group therapy, adoption therapy, multi-family therapy, transcultural therapy, as well as others, have emerged to address the peculiar issues these families are confronted with. For example, what is the impact of the children’s pre-adoptive trauma? Or of same-sex parenting, multiple loyalties, and of relations to the birth and adoptive families in the context of social media? It is important to examine how innovative mental health care settings can be best utilized to address these new challenges.
In the context of contemporary family configurations (e.g., adoptive families, same-sex parenting, single parenting, IVF procedures and surrogacy), this Research Topic aims to discuss the challenges encountered by children, adolescents and their parents regarding their psychological development, family relations, and social adaptation (i.e. pre-adoptive trauma, issues of psychological adjustment, experiences of racism, discrimination, and rejection), in order to promote their mental health and prevent mental disorders or disruptions of family relations. At the same time, the exploration of innovative mental health care settings can promote psychological, social and family outcomes in case of psychological suffering or difficulties in family relationships.
This Research Topic welcomes Original Research articles, systematic reviews, clinical trials, community case studies concerning adoptive, single parents, same-sex and IVF families. We are also interested in the therapeutic outcomes of those new mental health care settings.
Specific sub-themes of interest include the following:
• Pre-adoptive trauma;
• Family functioning in adoptive, same-sex and IVF families;
• Child-parent relations in adoptive, same-sex and IVF families;
• Psychological adjustment and outcomes of children in adoptive, same-sex and IVF families and mental health care settings;
• Focus-group research;
• Specific group-therapy;
• Transcultural therapy; and
• Multi-family therapy.
Keywords: family relations, social adaptation, psychological outcomes, contemporary family, adoption, same-sex parenting, innovative mental health care
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
