Developmental Research in Space: Predicting Adult Neurobehavioral Phenotypes via Metabolomic Imaging

As human habitation and eventual colonization of space becomes an inevitable reality, there is a necessity to understand how organisms develop over the life span in the space environment. Microgravity, altered CO2, radiation and psychological stress are some of the key factors that could affect mammalian reproduction and development in space, however there is a paucity of information on this topic. Here we combine early (neonatal) in vivo spectroscopic imaging with an adult emotionality assay following a common obstetric complication (prenatal asphyxia) likely to occur during gestation in space. The neural metabolome is sensitive to alteration by degenerative changes and developmental disorders, thus we hypothesized that that early neonatal neurometabolite profiles can predict adult response to novelty. Late gestation fetal rats were exposed to moderate asphyxia by occluding the blood supply feeding one of the rats pair uterine horns for 15min. Blood supply to the opposite horn was not occluded (within-litter cesarean control). Further comparisons were made with vaginal (natural) birth controls. In one-week old neonates, we measured neurometabolites in three brain areas (i.e., striatum, prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus). Adult perinatally-asphyxiated offspring exhibited greater anxiety-like behavioral phenotypes (as measured the composite neurobehavioral assay involving open field activity, responses to novel object, quantification of fecal droppings, and resident-intruder tests of social behavior). Further, early neurometabolite profiles predicted adult responses. Non-invasive MRS screening of mammalian offspring is likely to advance ground-based space analogue studies informing mammalian reproduction in space, and achieving high-priority multigenerational research that will enable studies of the first truly space-developed mammals

Foster youth’s educational challenges and supports: Perspectives of teachers, foster parents, and former foster youth

Research indicates that children in foster care are more likely than their non-foster care peers to be absent from school, have special education needs, and to experience traumatic life events. In turn, they are also less likely to graduate high school and to attend/graduate from college. The current study, which builds on this literature and was guided by an ecological framework, employed thematic analysis to explore Massachusetts foster youth’s academic challenges and supports through interviews with teachers (n = 19), foster parents (n = 14), former foster youth (n = 12), and three individuals who were both teachers and foster parents. All three groups of participants noted that strained relationships between foster youth and their schools contributed to academic challenges. In addition, foster parents and teachers described challenges within the school/home relationship. Participants offered insights into how foster youth can be supported academically (e.g., support for foster parents navigating special education services, enhancing extracurricular opportunities). Significantly, many of their suggestions are in fact already available, suggesting that increased awareness of and utilization of these resources have the potential to increase positive outcomes for foster youth

You try to be superman and you don\u27t have to be : Gayadoptive fathers\u27 challenges and tensions in balancing work and family

A body of literature has emerged that focuses on work-family balance among heterosexual fathers. Little attention has been paid to how gay fathers balance work and family, despite the reality that they too are likely affected by similar masculine norms. The current qualitative study of 70 gay adoptive fathers (35 couples) begins to fill this gap in the literature. Analyzing interview data through the lens of Voydanoff\u27s (2005) work-family fit and balance model, we examine the ways in which gay men\u27s experiences of work-family balance are both constrained and enhanced by particular demands and resources. Highlighting the role of gender and sexual orientation, we analyze the challenges these men face and the strategies they use to cope with work-family tensions. © 2012 by the Men\u27s Studies Press, LLC. All rights reserved

Why parenthood, and why now? Gay men\u27s motivations for pursuing parenthood

The current qualitative study of 35 preadoptive gay male couples (70 men) examined gay men\u27s motivations to parent and their reasons for pursuing parenthood at the current time. Similar to heterosexual couples, gay men described a range of psychologically oriented reasons as shaping their decision to become parents. Some of these (e.g., desire to teach a child tolerance) may have been uniquely shaped by their sexual minority status, and others (e.g., desire to give a child a good home) in part reflect their adoptive status. Men named age, finances, and relationship factors, as well as unique contextual factors such as the need to find and move to gay-friendly neighborhoods, as influencing their readiness to pursue parenthood at the current time. Gay men\u27s motivations to parent echo normative life course decision-making processes, but also reflect concerns that are uniquely informed by their sexual minority status. © 2012 by the National Council on Family Relations

From face-to-face to Facebook: The role of technology and social media in adoptive family relationships with birth family members

This qualitative study of 77 individuals in 40 couples (same-sex and heterosexual), who had adopted publically, privately, or internationally, examined parents\u27 engagement with their child\u27s birth family via technology (e.g., texting, e-mail, social media) through the lens of the Couple and Family Technology frame-work (Hertlein & Blumer, 2014). Parents used three approaches to contact: active, passive, and no contact. Regardless of approach, some parents described concerns about boundaries. Couples were generally in agreement in their perspectives on engaging with birth family via technology. Practitioners must be know-ledgeable about management of relationships via technology and help adoptive families set healthy boundaries

Lesbian and heterosexual adoptive mothers’ experiences of relationship dissolution

Little research has explored same-gender couples’ experiences of relationship dissolution, and no research has explored relationship dissolution in same-gender adoptive parents. Drawing from feminist and social constructionist perspectives, the current qualitative study examined the perspectives of 13 adoptive mothers (seven lesbian, six heterosexual) who had separated from their partners over the course of a longitudinal study on adoptive families. Participants were interviewed via telephone and represented a geographically diverse sample of mothers in the U.S. Becoming a parent (to a high-needs child in particular), differences in parenting style, parent problems (e.g., substance abuse), and infidelity were perceived as contributing to relationship dissolution by all types of participants. Lesbian mothers were especially likely to emphasize problems with emotional and sexual intimacy, and inequities in the division of labor, as contributors. Lesbian mothers were more likely to describe shared custody arrangements than heterosexual mothers, who were typically the primary residential parents. Participants described both practical challenges (e.g., financial insecurity) and emotional challenges (e.g., feelings of guilt, especially in light of the child’s history of loss) in the wake of relationship dissolution. However, participants also identified positive changes that had occurred post-dissolution, including personal growth and improved co-parenting, with the latter being noted by lesbians in particular. Findings have implications for professionals wishing to support diverse families during key life transitions, such as parental relationship dissolution

What changed when the gay adoption ban was lifted? Perspectives of lesbian and gay parents in Florida

This exploratory, qualitative study examined the perspectives of 22 lesbian and gay parents (15 female and seven male) who were residents of Florida while the state\u27s gay adoption ban was in effect and who had adopted or were in the process of adopting a child. Participants were interviewed about their experiences before and after the lifting of the gay adoption ban, which occurred in 2010. Participants described numerous negative consequences of the ban, including the inability to adopt foster children and the legal invisibility of one partner\u27s parental status (e.g., among lesbian couples who had become parents via donor insemination). Parents described various positive changes that occurred in their families once the ban was lifted, such as a profound sense of relief for parents and their children, as well as legal recognition of both partners as parents. Our findings highlight the negative consequences of discriminatory legislation on lesbian/gay-parent families, as well as some subsequent positive effects once such legislation is removed. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York