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Questo capitolo presenta i principali filoni di ricerca, individuati da Palacios e Brodzinsky (2010a; 2010b), che hanno orientato le ricerche a livello nazionale e internazionale sulle tematiche adottive, presentando alcuni degli studi più rappresentativi di ciascun filone, ma anche alcune ricerche recenti. Le tre domande di ricerca sono le seguenti: 1. L’adozione costituisce un fattore di rischio che influenza l’adattamento psicosociale dei minori? 2. Esistono possibilità di recupero nel breve o lungo termine? 3. Quali sono i fattori che spiegano la variabilità individuale nell’adattamento all’adozione? Il focus di queste ricerche riguarda prevalentemente gli outcome in termini di adattamento psicosociale, autostima e presenza di problemi emotivo-comportamentali dei bambini e degli adolescenti in adozione, mentre le ricerche che hanno analizzato le variabili familiari e sociali sono in numero assai più esiguo. Il contributo intende offrire alcune coordinate utili per chi si occupa di tematiche adottive sia nell’approfondimento scientifico sia nell’accompagnamento delle famiglie e nell’intervento clinico.

Negli ultimi anni nella letteratura sull'adozione si è aperto un nuovo filone di studi che esamina quali fattori possono favorire il benessere e l’adattamento psicosociale delle persone adottate. All'interno di questa letteratura, alcuni studi si sono focalizzati sulla costruzione dell’identità etnica quale aspetto che promuove il benessere della persona adottata. Il processo di sviluppo dell'identità può essere più complesso per gli adottati che non condividono il background etnico e culturale con le loro famiglie adottive. Inoltre, nella maggior parte dei casi il loro aspetto fisico rende “visibile” lo status adottivo. Essere somaticamente diversi dal resto della popolazione non adottiva, può portare a commenti intrusivi ed essere fonte di discriminazione nella loro vita quotidiana. A questo proposito, il presente contributo fornisce una panoramica dei principali risultati di studi incentrati su come le persone adottate integrano e tengono insieme i loro due background culturali: il background etnoculturale di nascita e la cultura del paese di adozione. Inoltre, saranno esaminati gli effetti negativi della discriminazione sul benessere delle persone adottate e dei fattori che potrebbero mitigare o esacerbare gli effetti negativi della discriminazione. Questi risultati hanno importanti implicazioni per gli enti e i professionisti che si occupano di adozione.

L’emergenza sanitaria legata alla diffusione del Covid-19 ha rappresentato per tutte le famiglie un’onda di eventi stressanti che ha messo a dura prova la capacità di adattamento. Sono stati registrati numerosi cambiamenti in termini negativi (ad es., sovraccarico di cura, difficile conciliazione tra vita personale e lavorativa), ma anche non pochi cambiamenti di segno positivo (ad es., maggiore tempo da trascorrere con i figli). Il presente contributo focalizza l’attenzione su come una particolare tipologia di famiglia, quella adottiva, che nel suo percorso ha già dovuto far fronte a numerosi eventi critici, si è misurata con gli stressor specifici legati alla pandemia. Contrariamente allo stereotipo diffuso, è risultato che i genitori adottivi sono stati più capaci di reagire, dal punto di vista emotivo, in modo equilibrato di fronte all’emergenza sanitaria. Nello specifico, le madri adottive sembrano avere risentito meno degli aspetti potenzialmente traumatici delle conseguenze legate al periodo pandemico e hanno mostrato di possedere molteplici risorse a livello individuale, di coppia e sociale; d’altra parte, però, date le sfide aggiuntive legate al percorso adottivo, manifestano un livello più basso di soddisfazione per la relazione con i/le figli/e, nonostante questo sembri aumentare nel periodo pandemico.

Despite an increasing interest in how adoptive parents deal with situations appraised as stressful, there is a lack of research regarding adoptive parents’ adjustment to the challenges posed by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. The current study explores similarities and differences between adoptive and non-adoptive mothers in terms of risks (i.e., COVID-19-related stress) and individual (i.e., sense of coherence SOC), couple (i.e., partner's support), parent–child (i.e., parent–child relationship satisfaction), and social (i.e., friends’ support) resources in the face of the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the present study was aimed at predicting which variables discriminate more effectively between the two groups. Participants were 445 Italian mothers (40.9% adoptive mothers), who were asked to fill in an anonymous online survey between May 2021 and October 2021. Results showed that adoptive and non-adoptive mothers reported different resilience resources to face the stressors posed by the health emergency. Specifically, COVID-19 traumatic stress symptoms, parent–child relationship satisfaction, and SOC were found to contribute most in discriminating between the two groups. Findings are discussed in relation to future research developments and practical implications.

Research has been focussing on protective and resistance-related factors that may help people face the long-lasting psychological challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sense of coherence allows to remain healthy and to recover after stressful or traumatic life experiences. We aimed at investigating whether, and the extent to which, social support, in terms of both family and friends support, mediated the well-established link between sense of coherence and mental health as well as that between sense of coherence and COVID-19-related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms. In May 2021, 3048 Italian respondents (51.5% women) aged between 18 and 91 (M-age = 48.33, SD = 14.04) filled in a self-report questionnaire. The mediation analyses we carried out on their responses showed a difference between focussing on mental health or on a psychological disorder. Indeed, despite the respectively positive and negative relation between sense of coherence and mental health and PTSD symptoms, this confirming the protective role of sense of coherence more than 1 year after the beginning of the pandemic, social support only mediated, partially, the former link. We also discuss practical implications and further expansion of the study.

The present paper, referring to the relational-symbolic model by Eugenia Scabini and Vittorio Cigoli, discusses the issues of “difference” and “origin” as constitutive elements of the human identity, that take place within the family (in both the couple relationship and the relationship between family generations) and support the goal of “generativity”.

Family systems theories consider cohesion, flexibility, and communication as distinct but related key dimensions of family functioning. These dimensions are underexplored within adoptive families. We investigated the extent to which family cohesion, flexibility, and adoption communication openness relate to the adjustment of adoptees in adolescence. A self-report questionnaire was completed by 134 family triads, composed of internationally adopted adolescents and their parents, for a total of 402 participants. Adoptees and their parents shared similarities, but also differences in perceptions of cohesion, flexibility, and adoption communication openness, all playing specific roles within the family context. Structural equation model with family-level analyses showed that the association between cohesion and the adjustment of adoptees was mediated by adoption communication openness, whereas flexibility was not associated with either communication openness nor with the adjustment of adoptees. Results are discussed in terms of implications for adoption research and practice.

Introduction: The extent and nature of SN among international adoptees at adolescence in different receiving countries (RC) has not been completely described, nor have differences between children of Eastern Europe (EE) and non-EE origin been fully assessed. Furthermore, the impact of SN on parent adoption satisfaction has not been systematically assessed or compared between RC. Aims: In 4 European RC (1) determine the prevalence and type of SN among internationally adopted adolescents, (2) compare these for children of EE and non-EE origin, (3) relate SN to mothers’ adoption satisfaction. Methods: 685 mothers of internationally adopted adolescents in four different RC (France n = 246, Italy n = 322, Norway n = 60, Spain n = 57) completed on-line surveys including (a) child's medical, behavior, psychological, or school problems, (b) Pinderhughes’ Adoption Satisfaction Questionnaire. Results: Mothers reported that 54% of the adolescents (58 %M, arrival age:53.53±40.35 months, current:14.98±1.70 years, 44% EE origin) had at least one SN. Learning disabilities were most common (40% of adolescents), followed by ADHD (30%), and medical issues (21%), but patterns differed by receiving country. Except for speech/language problems, the frequency of specific SN (developmental delay, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [ADHD], behavior problems, learning disabilities, psychiatric issues, prenatal alcohol exposure) varied significantly between RC. The frequency of these conditions between children of EE and non-EE origin also varied by RC. Mothers’ adoption satisfaction did not differ significantly between RC; the presence of ADHD, behavior and/or psychiatric problems consistently related to mothers’ adoption satisfaction in all 4 RC. The relation to mothers’ ASQ and the presence and number of SN was assessed by hierarchical linear regression, controlling for child demographic characteristics. Both the presence and number of SN negatively predicted mothers’ adoption satis

Bullying constitutes a serious risk factor for the psychosocial adjustment of young people in both the general population and minority groups. Among minorities, international adoptees are likely to show a specific vulnerability to the experience of being bullied, moderated by specific risk and protective factors. This study aimed to investigate the association between adoptees' experience of bullying victimization and their psychosocial adjustment, and to explore the moderating role of adoptive identity and reflected minority categorization. An online, anonymous self-report questionnaire was completed by 140 adolescents (13-17 years), who were internationally adopted by Italian families. Findings showed that being victimized was associated with higher levels of emotional and behavioral difficulties, but that the strength of this relation varied according to the levels of adoptive identity and reflected minority categorization. Specifically, victimization was found to have a more detrimental and negative impact on psychological adjustment for adoptees who were highly identified with the adoptive group, and reported to be less perceived by others as members of the minority group. Results are discussed in relation to recommendations for further research as well as for professionals working with internationally adopted adolescents.

Internationally adopted adolescents face the crucial developmental task of shaping their ethnic identity by balancing their dual belongingness to the current cultural background and the birth country’s ethnic background. This process does not depend exclusively on individual variables, but it is embedded within the social context. The present study was aimed at exploring the role of ethnic discrimination in moderating the association between reflected minority categorization, on the one hand, and ethnic identity, on the other. A self-report questionnaire was administrated to 180 internationally adopted adolescents. Results showed that at high levels of ethnic discrimination the relation between reflected minority categorization and ethnic identity in terms of commitment was negative and stronger. When considering instead ethnic identity in terms of exploration, it is possible to note that higher levels of reflected minority categorization were associated with higher levels of exploration. Findings are discussed in light of post-adoption intervention for adoptees.

The current study explored whether and to what extent different procreative options (natural conception, adoption, homologous techniques, and heterologous techniques) were perceived as enriching or threatening to young adults’ expectation of identity motives fulfillment. Our sample consisted of 1380 Italian young adults (62.9% women) aged between 18 and 33 years who participated in a national online survey on young adulthood. Results showed that participants expect natural conception to be more enriching to their identity, whereas they expected heterologous techniques to be more threatening to their identity compared to all other procreative options. Moreover, participants perceived adoption in the event of one’s partner’s sterility to be more enriching to their identity compared to both homologous and heterologous assisted reproductive techniques. Data were also analyzed taking into account the participants’ sex, age, and religious beliefs.

Parenting stress has a crucial influence on the parent-child relationship, the functioning of the family, and the development of children. Few studies have examined parenting stress in adoptive families during early parenthood, and fewer still have considered this issue in association with the quality of both couple and social relationships. The current study was intended to investigate predictors of parenting stress in a community sample of 56 adoptive parents from Italy, for a total of 112 participants. Our goals were to: 1) evaluate parenting stress among adoptive parents during the first post-adoption year, and 2) identify whether and to what extent parenting stress can be predicted by certain characteristics of the child (gender, age at adoption, years of institutionalisation, presence/absence of disease on arrival, emotional and behavioural difficulties), of parents’ individual well-being (e.g., the presence of depressive symptoms), of relationships within the couple (sexual satisfaction, tenderness between partners, quarrelling) and with the social context (real and potential social support). In the analyses parents’ gender effect and intercorrelations between the partners were taken into account. Results of multiple regression analysis and relative weight analysis highlighted the great importance of children’s age at adoption and their emotional and behavioural difficulties in predicting both mothers’ and fathers’ stress, but also the contribution of the couple relationship quality as a protective factor that could reduce the level of parenting stress.

Objective: The current study was aimed at exploring Italian parents' perceived negative and positive changes in family life during the COVID-19 pandemic, taking into account the role of the stage of the family life and family size. Background: During the emergency of the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of families drastically changed their daily life and routines. Little evidence exists on how family characteristics, such as family size or presence of children, are related to families' experience of family change. Method: A large sample of 1,407 Italian parents (70.1% mothers) filled in an anonymous online survey during the third week of the lockdown period (between March 30 and April 7, 2020). Results: Results showed that parents reported perceiving more positive changes than negative ones, especially in terms of feeling more emotionally close to their children and spending more fun time with them. Interestingly, parents with two or more children reported more positive changes in family life compared with parents who had one child, showing a greater relational regenerative capacity in the face of COVID-19 lockdown. Conclusion and Implications: Investing in family relationships, especially for larger families, is an effective coping strategy to deal with traumatic situations and promote positive family changes in stressful situations.

Intercountry adoption requires adoptive parents to assume their parenthood as well as to acknowledge the cultural and ethnic origins of their child. Narratives are effective means to help individuals cope with non-normative transitions, including adoption, as they allow them to make sense of and legitimise their experiences. This qualitative study sought to extend knowledge about the value of using narrative methods with adoptive families to explore how the language they employ determines the ways in which they perceive situations and vice versa. It uses the word-driven textual analysis software T-LAB to identify key topics highlighted by parents and analyse them in relation to specific variables. Child characteristics, such as gender, age at adoption and birth country, and family variables, such as mother’s and father’s narratives and first or not-first parenting experience, were considered. From the 37 narratives sampled, those parents adopting from Asia and Eastern Europe, mothers and first-time parents faced the most challenges.

The strong restrictive measures adopted in 2020 against the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy have deeply affected the general population’s mental health. In the current longitudinal study, we specifically focus on sense of coherence (SOC), both in terms of comprehensibility/manageability and meaningfulness, among a large sample of Italian adults; SOC is a potential resource likely to foster the ability to cope with stressors. A total of 2,191 Italian participants (65.8% female) aged 18–82 completed an anonymous online self-report questionnaire at Time 1 (during the lockdown, March 2020) and at Time 2 (at the resumption of most activities, July 2020). The Repeated Measures Latent Profile Analysis (RMLPA) allowed us to identify seven different SOC profiles based on the change in both SOC dimensions, ranging from a strong “crisis” in terms of this resource in the face of the pandemic to a solid possibility to count on it. Interestingly, female and younger respondents were more likely to belong to those profiles characterized by lower levels of SOC, and these profiles have specific relations with fear and wellbeing. The implications of these results and the further expansion of the study are discussed.

Un crescente numero di studi ha documentato l’impatto negativo delle misure restrittive di contenimento del contagio da COVID-19 sul benessere psicologico dei minori. Meno indagato è il ruolo dello stress genitoriale e il contributo dei diversi stressor sperimentati dai genitori sul malessere dei figli. Il presente studio cross-sectional in-tende esplorare il legame tra le difficoltà emotive dei minori (3-17 anni) e alcune specifiche fonti di stress sperimentate dai genitori in seguito al primo lockdown e quali di esse contribuiscano al malessere dei figli. 506 genitori italiani hanno compilato un questionario online a fine giugno 2020. I risultati mostrano un’influenza significativa dello stress legato alla limitazione della vita sociale e alla gestione della vita familiare, suggerendo l’importanza di interventi mirati su questi aspetti per ridurre l’impatto negativo della pandemia e promuovere il benessere della generazione più giovane.

Introduction: In accordance with the “resilience paradigm”, this study was aimed at exploring the role of the parent-child relationship in supporting internationally adopted adolescents’ ability to develop a strong adoptive identity and a feeling of satisfaction with their own life. Methods: Participants were 105 Italian adopted adolescents (13–17 years) asked to complete a self-report questionnaire. Results: Results showed that adolescents generally feel fairly comfortable discussing adoption-related issues (especially with their mothers), have a medium-high level of adoptive identity, and appear to be quite satisfied with their life. Moreover, while adoptive identity mediates the association between openness in communication regarding adoption and adoptees’ well-being with mothers, father-child communication openness has a direct influence on well-being. Conclusions: Findings highlighted that the quality of mother-child and father-child relationship plays a crucial role in guiding the process of adoptees’ identity formation and influencing their well-being. Recommendations for professionals working with adoptive families were discussed.

This work presents the results of an exploratory study on adolescents’ sexual and relational-emotional knowledge, sources of information, and behaviors. The study also investigates adolescents’ risky experiences in both real and virtual life. The sample consists of 1522 adolescents of Italian nationality with age range between 12 and 18 years (44% males and 56% females), who completed an online self-report questionnaire. Results show that, contrary to their perception, adolescents’ knowledge about sexuality and emotionality is rather scarce. They refer primarily to parents, friends, and, to a considerable extent, to the Internet to get information about sexuality. In addition, the percentage of sexually active adolescents who report to enact risky behaviors, especially among the youngest (12- 14 years), is noteworthy. Finally, a consistent percentage of adolescents report to receive or send “sensual” photo through the Internet and to receive requests to provide personal material/information by strangers.

Although most studies investigated the impact of infertility and its treatment on the couple, a small body of evidence suggested that infertility care providers may experience different sources of stress related for instance to excessive workload, the complexity of the technique, and relational difficulties with patients. The current study aimed at providing further insight into the understanding of the subjective experience of infertility care providers by highlighting their feelings and emotions, personal meanings, challenges, and opportunities. Following the methodological guidelines of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, we conducted individual semi-structured interviews with 23 members of two different fertility units. Interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Textual analysis was then conducted to identify emerging dominant themes and subthemes. Three main themes were extracted: (i) dealing with infertile patients and their specificities, (ii) performing assisted reproductive technology (ART), (iii) being part of a team. These themes related to participants experiencing: (i) difficulties in establishing an empathic connection and communicating with couples, such that women were sometimes perceived as “particular patients” and men as poorly involved in the process; (ii) difficulties in dealing with a complex procedure in which errors are not allowed (as reported by embryologists), with a growing number of women aged > 40 seeking assisted reproduction, despite the risks for their health; (iii) being part of a team as a resource, although the huge amount of time spent together can involve conflicts and organizational problems. These findings suggested that patients’ overpersistence (rather than just dropout) represents an important source of stress for infertility care providers. At the same time, the concept of particular or difficult patient derives from the combination of multiple factors, including providers’ own history and subjective exp

The worldwide outbreak of COVID-19, the ensuing pandemic, and the related containment measures pose considerable challenges to psychological resilience and well-being. Researchers are now forced to look for resources to cope with negative experiences linked to this health emergency. According to the salutogenic approach proposed by Antonovsky, the sense of coherence (SOC) is a major source of resilience. Thus, this study aimed at assessing the role of SOC in moderating the link between illness experiences (in terms of knowing persons diagnosed with COVID-19 and fear of contracting COVID-19) and psychological well-being. 2,784 participants, taken from a large sample of the Italian population (65.4% females) and aged between 18 and 85 years, filled in an anonymous online survey during the 3rd week of the lockdown. Findings supported the moderating role of SOC in shaping the link between illness experiences and psychological well-being. Specifically, participants who knew at least one person diagnosed with COVID-19 showed lower levels of psychological well-being at low levels of SOC. The negative relation between participants’ fear of contracting COVID-19 and psychological well-being was stronger for those who showed higher levels of SOC. This study discusses the implications of these results for interventions aimed at reducing the pandemic’s detrimental effects and promoting resilience.

Il presente capitolo intende soffermarsi sulla relazione genitori-figli durante una fase critica del ciclo di vita quale quella scolare. A partire da una breve descrizione dello scenario socio-culturale in cui la genitorialità si inscrive, vengono tratteggiate le principali sfide dell’essere genitori oggi, ma anche le risorse su cui i genitori possono fare affidamento per fare fronte a questa transizione e promuovere la crescita delle giovani generazioni. La letteratura psicosociale ha a questo proposito evidenziato la centralità dell’alleanza genitoriale. A partire da questa prospettiva, viene presentata una ricerca volta ad approfondire lo studio delle relazioni familiari e del benessere in famiglie con figli in età scolare, soffermandosi sul ruolo giocato dall’alleanza genitoriale nell’intreccio con la relazione di coppia e con la relazione genitori-figli. Un questionario è stato somministrato a 102 coppie di genitori con figli di età compresa tra 6 e 11 anni. Particolare attenzione viene prestata ai possibili risvolti operativi e agli interventi di enrichment familiare.

Il presente contributo intende soffermarsi sulla relazione genitori-figli durante una fase non troppo esplorata del ciclo di vita, quella scolare. A partire da una breve descrizione dello scenario socio-culturale in cui la genitorialità si inscrive, vengono tratteggiate le principali sfide dell’essere genitori oggi, ma anche le risorse su cui i genitori possono fare affidamento per far fronte a questa transizione e promuovere la crescita delle giovani generazioni. La letteratura psicosociale ha a questo proposito evidenziato il ruolo chiave giocato dall’alleanza genitoriale. A partire da questa prospettiva, viene presentata una ricerca volta ad approfondire lo studio delle relazioni familiari e del benessere in famiglie con figli in età scolare, soffermandosi sul ruolo giocato dall’alleanza genitoriale nell’intreccio con la relazione di coppia e con la relazione genitori-figli. Un questionario è stato somministrato a 102 coppie di genitori con figli di età compresa tra 6 e 11 anni. Particolare attenzione viene prestata ai possibili risvolti operativi e agli interventi di enrichment familiare.

Il Centro di Ateneo Studi e Ricerche sulla Famiglia dell’Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore di Milano, su richiesta di alcuni genitori adottivi partecipanti al forum online MAC, ha condotto uno studio teso ad approfondire come i genitori adottivi affrontino momenti di particolare crisi, al fine di individuare anche le risorse che possano favorirne il superamento. Il focus è stato posto sulla percezione che i genitori hanno relativamente alle seguenti dimensioni: a) problemi emotivo-comportamentali dei figli; b) benessere psicologico dei genitori adottivi e qualità della relazione di coppia; c) soddisfazione per il supporto ricevuto dai Servizi pubblici, dagli Enti Autorizzati e dal forum nelle diverse fasi dell’iter adottivo.

Parenting stress during first years after the transition to parenthood has been linked to depression, anxiety, and children's well-being. What about the role of partner's level of stress in influencing the level of stress of the other member of the couple? Research on dyadic data is still limited about both adoptive and biological parents. The present longitudinal study was aimed at (a) comparing adoptive and biological couples' dyadic correlations (intraclass correlation coefficients) within 3 months from the child's arrival/birth (T1) and 1 year later (T2) and evaluating if intraclass correlation coefficients were stable or changed over time and (b) measuring interdependence within couples, applying the actor-partner interdependence model. Participants were 36 adoptive and 31 biological couples, all first-time parents, for a total of 134 subjects. Both parents within each couple were asked to fill in a self-report questionnaire. Results evidenced similarities and differences among adoptive and biological parents and a higher interdependence within the adoptive couples.

The aim of this study was to provide a systematic narrative review of the published research articles on donor conceived (DC) offspring’s subjective experiences of their donor. A systematic search of electronic databases (Psycinfo and PubMed) provided 29 published quantitative and qualitative studies matching our inclusion criteria. The analysis of the studies outcomes led to the identification of four main themes: a) views/representations of the donor; b) desire to contact the donor (in terms of desire to meet the donor, reasons for wanting to contact the donor, type and frequency of contact); c) reactions to discovering the donor’s identity and contacting the donor; d) identity issues. Our findings revealed that genetic ties do matter to DC people, especially during adolescence or adulthood. Many DC people were interested in contacting the donor and all of them needed to make meaning of the role of the donor, as well as to integrate it into their family life and self-concept. Besides curiosity and medical reasons, many people reported wanting to contact the donor to see what he/she looked like, to have access to their own ancestry and genetic history.

Becoming an adoptive parent is a particularly stressful transition, given the additional challenges couples have to face. Dyadic coping, an under-investigated dimension in the adoption literature, may play a relevant role for prospective adoptive couples’ ability to better cope with the adoptive process. The general aim of the present study was to investigate the association between dyadic coping and relationship functioning, in terms of relationship satisfaction and couple generativity, among prospective adoptive couples. Participants were 103 prospective adoptive couples pursuing international adoption in Italy. Couples were asked to fill in a self-report questionnaire. Results of the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model showed that prospective adoptive partners reported high levels of positive and common dyadic coping and low levels of negative dyadic coping – suggesting partners’ ability to successfully cope together with a common stressor – a high level of relationship satisfaction, and an average level of couple generativity. Moreover, analyses showed significant actor effects of one’s own perception of the partner’s dyadic coping (positive, negative, and common) on one’s own relationship satisfaction and on couple generativity for both wives and husbands. With regard to partner effects, we found that both partners’ perceptions of the other’s dyadic coping responses (positive, negative, and common) were associated with the other’s relationship satisfaction, with the only exception of wives’ perceptions of common dyadic coping, which were not associated with their husbands’ relationship satisfaction. As for couple generativity, the only significant partner effect referred to negative dyadic coping responses for both wives and husbands.

Self-concept clarity is a developmentally salient resource among adolescents and is positively associated with psychological adjustment. However, the mechanism underlying the association between self-concept clarity and adjustment remains inadequately understood. This study examined whether emotion regulation mediated the relationship between self-concept clarity and psychological adjustment in a sample of adolescents (N = 922) aged 14–16 years. Findings showed that the more adolescents had a clear idea of themselves the more they were effective in emotion regulation when dealing with both positive and negative emotions, and the more they were psychologically adjusted.

Lo studio intende valutare a livello esplorativo il programma di educazione affettivo-sessuale TeenSTAR che ha l’obiettivo di promuovere la conoscenza del corpo, le dimensioni affettivo-relazionali ad esso connesse, il senso di responsabilità e l’autonomia di scelta nei contesti affettivi e sessuali. Sono stati valutati 2 corsi seguiti da 34 adolescenti. E’ stata analizzata la percezione di cambiamento dopo la partecipazione al corso circa il livello di conoscenza sul tema della sessualità, l’apertura comunicativa con i genitori, le fonti di informazione circa la sessualità, l’autostima, la capacità di resistere alla pressione dei pari e la soddisfazione per il corso. Il programma favorisce una maggiore conoscenza del tema, un’immagine di sé più positiva e una migliore capacità di resistere alla pressione dei pari. Il livello di soddisfazione per il corso risulta medio-alto.

The issue of same-sex parenting is the most crucial aspect of the transformation of the anthropological foundations of the family, as it deeply affects the future of the new generations. This problem involves several disciplines, especially in the legal field and the area of psychosocial studies. The latter, moreover, has been the focus of particular attention because same-sex couples’ right to parenthood is often justified by the findings of research in the psychological field. Therefore, it is of great interest to document the most significant research into the issue, both qualitative and quantitative in approach, carried out from the 1990s to the present day, and to make this material available to the broader public, with critical commentary. The book is structured as follow. The first part of the volume is dedicated to studies of same-sex couples, with particular attention to the initial stages along the path to parenthood and the relational dynamics in play during the transition. The second part of the volume, instead, examines the issue from the point of view of the children living with same-sex parents, focusing not only on the traditional outcome of wellbeing, such as behavioral adjustment, but also and especially on aspects relating to identity, such as the questions concerning feelings about origins and questions touching on the intergenerational dimension of the family. A third part is dedicated to same-sex adoptive couples, who are too often confused and overlapped with other family compositions, but in our opinion, merit specific attention. We plan to focus on the elements of difference that make adoption a path with specific challenges, and adoption by same-sex couples even more complex.

Many studies have documented that adopted children, despite the initial delays, showed significant recovery over time in all the main developmental areas; longitudinal studies focused on adoptive parents and on their well-being’s trajectories over time are limited and inconsistent. The present study is aimed at partially filling this gap, evaluating children’s well-being (emotional, behavioural, and attachment difficulties) and parents’ well-being (depression, parenting stress, couple satisfaction, and social support) during the first postadoption year (T1=within 2 months after children’s arrival in the family and T2=a year after children’s arrival). In all the analyses mothers’ and fathers’ perceptions were compared. Participants were 56 families, for a total of 112 parents and 65 children (7 adoptions of siblings). This study showed globally a positive situation at children’s arrival in the family, more continuity than change during the first post-adoption year, and highlighted the presence of many adoptive couples’ resources: low levels of parenting stress and depression, a strong couple relationship, together with a perception of the child as not problematic.

Il presente studio longitudinale focalizza l’attenzione sulla depressione nel primo anno post-adozione. In particolare intende: a) valutare i punteggi medi e l’incidenza dei punteggi clinici di sintomatologia depressiva in coppie di genitori e il loro andamento nel primo anno post-adozione; b) individuare i fattori ad essa associati quali lo stress genitoriale, la qualità della relazione con il coniuge e il supporto sociale e c) valutare l’associazione tra i livelli di depressione dei due partner all’interno della coppia e il suo andamento nel tempo. In tutte le analisi si è operato un confronto tra le percezioni di madri e padri. I partecipanti sono 45 coppie di genitori (90 soggetti). I dati sono stati rilevati mediante questionari entro due mesi dall’arrivo del bambino e un anno dopo. I risultati hanno evidenziato sia nei padri che nelle madri livelli medi di depressione ben al di sotto della soglia clinica e una sostanziale continuità durante il primo anno. Circa il 40% dei genitori va incontro nel tempo ad un aumento dei punteggi medi e nel caso dei padri tale incremento è significativamente associato ai livelli di stress genitoriale percepito dopo un anno dall’adozione. Si è inoltre rilevata un’influenza reciproca, seppur di moderata entità, dei livelli di depressione all’interno della coppia., The current longitudinal study is focused on parental depression during the first year postadoption. Specifically it was aimed at: a) investigating post-adoption depression incidence and trends among adoptive couples; b) identifying risk factor associated to couples’ postadoption depression, considering the parent-child relationship, the couple relationship, and the relationship with the social context and c) evaluating the association between partner’s levels of depression within the couple, and trends over time. In all the analyses mothers and fathers’ perceptions were compared. Participants were 45 adoptive couples (90 subjects) and they filled out two self-report questionnaire: the first one within two months after child’s arrival in the family, and the second one a year later. Results showed that both for mothers and fathers mean scores were far below the clinical threshold and stable over time. About 40% of parents showed an increase of depression mean scores over time and for fathers this increase significantly correlated with parenting stress levels reported in Time 2. A mutual influence between the levels of depression within the couple emerged, although moderate.

This chapter is aimed at shaping international adoptions in Italy, with particular reference to children born in the Russian Federation.

The objectives of the present study were: a) to examine the factor structure of the Partnership Questionnaire (PFB) through confirmatory factor analyses, b) to test for the invariance of this structure across genders, and c) to analyze the PFB concurrent validity through its associations with the Marital Satisfaction Inventory Revised (MSI-R) and the Dyadic Coping Inventory (DCI) in a sample of 448 Italian couples. Results indicate that PFB presents a gender invariant 3-factor structure (Quarreling,Tenderness, and Sexuality), and correlates significantly, in the expected directions, with the MSI-R and DCI scales.

Introduzione: Diversi sono i fattori associati allo stress genitoriale, quali la depressione e l’ansia individuale di madri e padri, nonché il benessere dei figli. Ma qual è il ruolo giocato dalla coppia? Quanto la percezione di stress del partner influenza i livelli di stress individuali? Le ricerche che seguono una prospettiva relazionale e scelgono come unità di analisi la coppia genitoriale sono ad oggi limitate, sia nel contesto delle famiglie con figli biologici, sia nel contesto dell’adozione. Il presente studio longitudinale si pone i seguenti obiettivi: a) valutare i livelli di stress genitoriale riportati durante il primo anno dall’arrivo/nascita del figlio, considerando l’effetto del genere (madre e padre) e della tipologia di coppia (adottiva e biologica); b) valutare l’influenza delle percezioni di stress individuali e del partner nel predire i livelli di stress nel tempo, attraverso l’Actor Partner Interdependence Model. Metodo: Sono state coinvolte, attraverso la collaborazione di Centri Adozioni e di Aziende Ospedaliere della regione Lombardia, 36 coppie adottive e 31 coppie biologiche alla prima esperienza genitoriale, per un totale di 134 partecipanti. Le coppie sono state incontrate entro tre mesi (T1) e ad 1 anno dall’arrivo/nascita del figlio (T2). È stato utilizzato un questionario self-report, somministrato individualmente ad entrambi i membri della coppia, composto da alcune domande volte a raccogliere informazioni socio-demografiche e dal Parenting Stress Index Short Form. Risultati: Le analisi preliminari hanno evidenziato livelli simili di stress tra genitori adottivi e biologici e una maggior interdipendenza tra i partner nelle coppie adottive. Conclusioni: I risultati saranno discussi alla luce delle implicazioni per l’intervento di sostegno e accompagnamento delle coppie che vivono la transizione genitoriale, al fine di promuovere anche il benessere dei figli.

Nel presente contributo sarà messa a tema l’importanza dell’accompagnamento post-adozione fin dalle prime fasi di formazione della famiglia adottiva e dell’applicazione di protocolli di ricerca e di raccolta dati sistematici a fini sia teorici sia applicativi. Nello specifico verrà presentato un progetto nato dalla collaborazione tra il Centro d’Ateneo Studi e Ricerche sulla Famiglia e ‘Il Cerchio’ Centro Adozioni della ex ASL Milano 1, ora Asst Rhodense, che ha coinvolto tutte le famiglie (circa 60) seguite dal servizio nel primo anno post-adozione. Nella prima parte del contributo viene presentata la progettazione del protocollo di ricerca; segue la descrizione della procedura, dei contenuti degli incontri e degli strumenti utilizzati; infine viene analizzato uno studio di caso singolo, esemplificativo dell’applicazione dell’intero protocollo.

Research has consistently shown that discrimination based on ethnic group membership affects the psychological well‐being of ethnic minorities. Recent studies revealed that discrimination is also a relevant experience for international transracial adoptees, who have experienced a unique migration process. Yet, there is still a paucity of studies focused on similarities and differences between how immigrants and international transracial adoptees perceive discrimination and on how perceived discrimination impacts psychological well‐being, also depending on ethnic identity. Our study aimed to fill these gaps by investigating the moderating role of ethnic identity affirmation in the association between perceived discrimination and psychological well‐being, measured in terms of self‐esteem. A comparison between international transracial adoptees and immigrants was carried out in the Italian context. Participants were 119 international transracial adoptees and 90 immigrants, aged between 15 and 24, all categorizing themselves as Latinos. Findings revealed that immigrants perceived more discrimination and showed higher levels of ethnic identity affirmation than did adoptees, but no difference emerged with respect to self‐esteem. Ethnic identity affirmation buffered the detrimental effects of perceived discrimination on self‐esteem among international transracial adoptees but not among immigrants. Results are discussed in relation to practical implications for preventive interventions.

Research is consistent in showing that international adoption is an intervention leading to great recovery for adopted children, but there is a need of research on factors associated with recovery. The present study is aimed at: (a) assessing children’s cognitive skills and social-emotional dimensions on their arrival to their new family; (b) evaluating their development after one year; (c) identifying which factors influence development, taking into account children’s gender, age, health status on arrival, years of institutionalization, and the initial psychological delay. Participants were 53 internationally adopted children (30 boys and 23 girls), aged 5.68 years old on average at placement (range 2–14). Results showed that children’s development one year after adoption was extraordinary, both in cognitive skills and in social-emotional dimensions. The children more delayed on arrival showed the larger progress over time, and their recovery was greater in cognitive skills than in social-emotional dimensions.

While ethnic prejudice is considered a key factor in parental cultural socialization strategies, there is nonetheless a lack of research about this topic among prospective transracially adoptive parents and the extent of their contacts with members of minority ethnic groups. Participants in the current study were 175 couples: 102 prospective adoptive parents pursuing international adoption in Italy and 73 couples who at the time of the study neither had children nor were involved in the adoption process. Results showed, first, that prospective adoptive parents reported lower levels of ethnic prejudice and more positive intergroup contacts than the comparison group and, second, that adoptive status, together with a more positive intergroup contact, predicted lower levels of negative prejudice. Implications for pre- and post-adoption interventions are discussed.