Aging well in an aging society: physical health in older lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults.

Introduction: Older sexual minority people meet a double stigma in our society related to their sexual identity and chronological age. The present study explores how experiences of discrimination and prejudice, coming out, and personal resiliency influence physical health of older lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adults. Methods: Respondents were recruited through online advertisements and an online-based survey. The sample included 82 Italian cisgender LGB adults over 65 years: young older adults (65-70 years; 78%) and old-old adults (over 71 years; 22%). Regarding sexual orientation, the sample was composed of sexual minority women (n = 30; 37%) and sexual minority men (n = 52; 63%). Results: ANOVAs' findings showed that sexual minority women described lower levels of physical health compared to sexual minority men. At the same time, old-old adults reported higher experiences of discrimination and prejudice compared to young older adults. Moreover, findings from hierarchical multiple regression analysis described that coming out, higher levels of personal resiliency, and fewer experiences of discrimination were predictors of physical health, regardless of age and sexual minority categories. Conclusion: These findings seem to align with previous studies that underline the relevance of investigating aging well in sexual minority people. Knowledge and awareness of LGBTQ+ issues are necessary for recognizing the unique needs and resources of older LGB people for promoting a healthy aging process.

The intergenerational transmission of attachment during middle childhood in lesbian, gay, and heterosexual parent families through assisted reproduction: The mediating role of reflective functioning.

The present study examined the attachment patterns distribution of 60 lesbian mothers, 50 gay fathers, and 42 heterosexual parents through assisted reproduction and their 76 children, using the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) and the Friends and Family Interview (FFI), respectively. The study also explored the intergenerational transmission of attachment through reflective functioning (AAI-RF). All families lived in Italy and children were aged 6-12 years (Myears = 8.11, SD = 2.17; 48.68% assigned female at birth). The AAI patterns distribution was similar across family types and did not significantly differ from international and national normative data. Similarly, children's FFI attachment patterns were evenly distributed between family types, and no significant differences emerged in comparison to international and national normative data referring to middle childhood samples. Mediational models revealed that, in all three family types, parents with greater AAI coherence of mind exhibited higher AAI-RF, which, in turn, was associated with increased FFI attachment security in children. Furthermore, parents' AAI coherence of mind directly influenced children's FFI attachment security. The results support and expand hypotheses regarding the intergenerational transmission of attachment in lesbian, gay, and heterosexual parent families through assisted reproduction, while offering unique indications to support these families during middle childhood.

Perceived Similarity to Gender Groups Scale: Validation in a Sample of Italian LGB + and Heterosexual Young Adults.

Introduction: The present article describes two interrelated studies that examine gender typicality in young adulthood using a new dual-identity approach. Methods: Participants were recruited online from March 2020 to February 2021 and reported their perceived similarity to own- and other-gender peers as a way to assess their gender typicality. In study 1, the authors conducted an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to test and validate the Perceived Similarity to Gender Groups Scale in a sample of Italian young adults (n = 571; M age = 23.9; SD = 3.60). The authors documented the configural, metric, scalar measurement invariance, and validity. In study 2, the Perceived Similarity to Gender Groups Scale adopted in study 1 was used to assess the distribution of different typologies of gender typicality in another sample of Italian young adults who vary in gender and sexual orientation (n = 1126; M age = 24.3; SD = 3.51). Results: Results confirmed the structural validity of the Perceived Similarity to Gender Groups Scale, revealing the two-factor structure of the scale. Moreover, results of cluster analysis found different typologies of self-perceptions of gender typicality. Conclusion: Both studies emphasize the relevance of studying gender typicality in young adulthood through a dual-identity approach, highlighting the relevance of gender and sexual orientations. Policy Implications: The use of the dual-identity approach has significant social and clinical implications as it represents a more flexible and representative model of the complexity of gender typicality. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13178-021-00631-5.

Surrogacy families headed by gay men: relationships with surrogates and egg donors, fathers' decisions over disclosure and children's views on their surrogacy origins.

STUDY QUESTION: How do gay father families experience surrogacy in terms of their relationships with surrogates and egg donors, fathers' disclosure decisions and children's views on their surrogacy origins? SUMMARY ANSWER: More families had a relationship with the surrogate than the egg donor, and almost all had started to disclose to their children, the majority of whom expressed limited interest in their surrogacy conception. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Gay fathers tend to report greater contact with the surrogate than the egg donor and to disclose only the use of a surrogate (omitting discussion of the egg donor and the respective fathers' genetic relatedness). Children's views on their surrogacy conception to gay fathers are not known. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: Thirty-one children and 80 fathers were interviewed as part of a larger in-depth investigation of 40 Italian gay father surrogacy families. Multiple strategies were used to recruit participants. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: Children were aged 6-12 years and had been born to gay fathers through gestational surrogacy. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in participants' homes with each family member, separately. Fathers' interviews were presented from the perspective of the father who identified as being most involved with the child on a day-to-day basis. Qualitative content analysis was performed and quotations illustrating the findings were reported. Where appropriate, comparisons were conducted using χ2 or Fisher's exact tests. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: A total of 31 children in 24 families were interviewed. Most families reported a harmonious relationship with the surrogate (n = 20, 57.1%) and a distant relationship with the donor (n = 10, 66.7%) (χ2(1) = 23.33, P < 0.001). Before the child was aged 4 years, almost all families (n = 34, 85%) had started to disclose their use of a surrogate, with 16 families (n = 16, 40%) also disclosing their use of a donated egg, and only 4 (10%) disclosing which father's sperm had been used. Of the 31 children interviewed, most (n = 17, 54.8%) showed a clear understanding of their conception. About 19 (61.3%) expressed limited interest in their conception, 11 (35.5%) felt positive and 1 child (3.2%) was unsure how he felt. Children differed in their feelings towards their surrogate and egg donor (Fisher's exact test, P = 0.002). Of the 31 children who were aware of the surrogate, the majority felt grateful towards her (n = 22, 71%), while of the 25 children who were also aware of the egg donation, 11 (44%) showed limited interest in their donor. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: The sample's convenience nature and the gay father families' high income limited the representativeness of the findings. Further, some children belonged to the same family, and this could have biased the results, as these children may have had similar experiences. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: Prior to this study, the voice of children conceived by gay fathers through surrogacy had not been heard. Future research on factors influencing children's desired contact with-or interest in-the surrogate and/or egg donor and their feelings when contact is not possible will be important in preparing families for such events. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): Support was obtained from a Sapienza Starting Grant for Research to the first author (grant number AR11715C77EB56B2). None of the authors has any conflict of interest.