Impact of Parent–Child Relationships on Psychological Well-Being among Sexual and Gender Minority Families

Dear Colleagues,

High-quality parent–child relationships are associated with an array of positive health and well-being outcomes for parents, children, and families, across the lifespan. While research examining the parent–child relationships among SGM people is growing, the aim of this Special Issue is to address some existing gaps in this area.

Sexual and gender minority people for this call are broadly defined as those who identify their sexual and gender identities (i.e., lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, nonbinary, genderqueer, etc.), along with sexual attraction, behaviour, and/or gender expression, which are considered to be outside of cultural and societal norms.

SGM parents have unique strengths, yet are facing a number of challenges and inequities. Manuscripts should focus on the outcome(s) or role(s) of parent–child relationships, across the lifespan (i.e., infants/children/adolescents/adults), of SGM parents (broadly defined). Manuscripts should represent the diverse experiences of SGM parents and their relationships with their children.

For this Special Issue, we are looking for original manuscripts of empirical research (e.g., quantitively, qualitative, and/or mixed-method) and review articles (e.g., systematic, topical, etc.). We are also open to both longitudinal and cross-sectional studies. Lastly, we encourage research that includes under-represented and/or marginalized populations.

Research topics may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Impact of parental socialization of sex, sexuality (identity, attraction, and/or behaviour) and gender (identity, expression, expectations) on parent–child relationships and family dynamics.
• Intersection of race, class, and multiple aspects of identity, along with the impact of privilege and oppression in the lives of SGM parents and their relationships with their children.
• Examining the role of family configuration (e.g., single, multiparent, multigenerational, divorce/separated parents, stepparents, blended families) on parent–child relationships.
• Impacts of oppressive laws and policies, stigma, bias, or discrimination.
• Influence of coparenting, sibling relationships, couple functioning, or family dynamics on parent–child relationships.
• Exploring contexts of family creation (e.g., relationships with birth parents/siblings, sperm and/or egg donors (known or unknown), surrogates) and their roles in parent–child relationships.
• Understanding parent–child relationships intergenerationally (e.g., SGM grandparents and their relationship with their adult child and grandchildren).
• Role of healthcare providers, children’s peers and their families, and school/community.
• Interventions or prevention programs geared at improving parent–child relationships.

Dr. Samantha L. Tornello
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• parent–child relationships
• SGM parents
• well-being
• psychological functioning
• strength-based approaches
• transgender health
• child outcomes
• family dynamics
• nonbinary
• LGBTQ+ people