IntroductionThere are many studies on the concept of body image (usually understood narrowly as body acceptance) in menopausal women, but relationships between the body self and menopausal symptoms have not been explored yet. In the research discussed in this paper, a complex model of the body self, including its functions, body identity and body image, has been presented.Aim of the studyAim of the study was to explore the relationships between different aspects of the body self, and the frequency, intensity and acceptance of menopausal symptoms.Material and methodsThe investigated sample consisted of 81 women (age: 51.8 ± 4.2 years; range: 45-58 years). The authors used an extended version of the Menopause Symptom List and the Body Self Questionnaire.ResultsPerception of sensations, interpretation and regulation of emotions and physical states as well as body identity were the most important correlates of the intensity and frequency of menopausal symptoms (psychological, vasomotor and somatic). Among the body image aspects investigated in the study, the appearance evaluation was associated with the frequency of vasomotor and psychological symptoms. The level of acceptance of symptoms was only related to the ability to cope with emotions and physical needs.ConclusionsThe findings indicate that aspects of the body self (which are stable personality traits) are significant for the way women experience menopausal symptoms.

Previous research on LGB parenting is dominated by comparing the LGB families to traditional families with heterosexual parents. Little is known about personal experiences of LGB parents and psychological consequences of nonheterosexual parenting in a heteronormative environment. This article presents the conceptualization of lesbian, gay and bisexual parents' minority stress and focuses especially on it's sources.LGB parents are considered as a multiple excluded minority group. Using a theoretical framework of minority stress (Meyer 1995), the main stressors are described with reference to parental situation: discrimination and violence, perceived stigma, self-concealment and internalized homophobia. These factors' possible impact on psychological wellbeing is discussed on the basis of research available. The Polish sociocultural context and its potential influence of LGB parents' stress is also described. The specificity of LGB parents' minority stress is that it challenges the aspect of identity associated with a parental social role. The most common stressors undermine the status and quality of parent-child bond and involves the child himself/ herself. In conclusion, minority stress of LGB parents is recognized as a risk factor for decrease in mental health, but also as an opportunity for personal development based on the stress -related growth.

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Cel pracyBadania realizowane wśród osób transpłciowych i różnorodnych płciowo koncentrują się przede wszystkim na trudnościach i rozbieżnościach w zdrowiu charakteryzujących tę populację. Jednym z powodów tego stanu rzeczy jest brak narzędzi kwestionariuszowych umożliwiających badanie pozytywnych aspektów i doświadczeń związanych z transpłciowością. Transgender Positive Identity Measure (T-PIM; Kwestionariusz Pozytywnej Tożsamości Transpłciowej) jest jednym z niewielu narzędzi stworzonych z myślą o eksploracji tych doświadczeń. Celem naszej analizy była ocena struktury, rzetelności oraz trafności polskiego tłumaczenia kwestionariusza T-PIM.MetodaW badaniu wzięło udział 89 osób transpłciowych oraz różnorodnych płciowo. Oprócz kwestionariusza T-PIM wykorzystano w nim także Skalę Pomiaru Prężności (SPP-25) i kwestionariusz CESD-R. Do zbadania struktury kwestionariusza zastosowano metodę hierarchicznej analizy skupień (ICLUST), analizę równoległą Horna oraz test częściowy minimalnej średniej Velicera (MAP).WynikiPolskie tłumaczenie T-PIM charakteryzowało się strukturą zgodną z oryginalnym narzędziem obejmującym pięć czynników (Autentyczność, Intymność, Wspólnota, Sprawiedliwość społeczna oraz Wgląd). Współczynniki rzetelności – α Cronbacha i lambda-6 Guttmana – osiągnęły satysfakcjonujące poziomy zarówno dla wszystkich pięciu czynników, jak i całego kwestionariusza.WnioskiPolskie tłumaczenie kwestionariusza T-PIM charakteryzuje się dobrymi właściwościami psychometrycznymi i może być wykorzystywane w badaniach z udziałem osób transpłciowych i różnorodnych płciowo.

Background Gender diverse individuals constitute a substantial yet still understudied population. Particularly little is known about gender non-binary people whose health needs have only recently gained attention from clinicians. Aim To investigate needs for gender-affirming interventions, selected health indicators and determinants in Polish gender non-binary individuals as compared to transgender men and transgender women. Methods We analyzed a subset of data from an online study on health in members of the Polish LGBTQ community. The sample consisted of 53 persons who self-identified as non-binary and 45 transgender men and transgender women. The uptake and the desire for gender-affirming medical interventions as well as selected health indicators were compared in non-binary and transgender persons. Additionally, regression models were conducted for depression, self-esteem and somatic symptoms severity as dependent variables, age as a covariate, and perceived stigma exposure, resilience and discomfort associated with current gender expression as predictors. Outcomes Outcomes such as desire for gender-affirming medical interventions and legal gender reassignment, symptoms of depression, resilience, physical symptoms severity, and perceived stigma exposure were captured in self-reported questionnaires. RESULTS Compared to the transgender men and transgender women, the non-binary participants of the study significantly less often pursued or desired gender-affirming medical interventions and legal gender reassignment. The non-binary participants also felt significantly more discomfort with their current gender expression. They were also characterized by increased expectations of rejection, vicarious trauma associated with being an LGBTQ person, and by decreased resilience compared to the transgender men and transgender women. Non-binary identity and individual resilience predicted higher self-esteem and decreased depression in the sample. The severity of physical symptoms was predicted by perceived stigma exposure (positively) and by resilience (negatively). Clinical Implications Polish non-binary individuals may constitute a vulnerable population in terms of greater perceived exposure to stigma and decreased individual resilience. Both transgender and non-binary individuals seek gender-affirming interventions and legal gender reassignment; the latter group, however, does so significantly less often. Strengths & Limitations We analyzed the data from a unique and understudied Polish population. By exploring the diversity within the transgender and non-binary community, we add to the ongoing discussion on transgender and non-binary health. The major limitations of the study are convenience sampling, cross-sectional design, and limited sample size. CONCLUSION Non-binary individuals constitute a distinct population in terms of psychosocial and health-related characteristics. Clinicians should be aware of their needs and the challenges they face in association with living in a predominantly gender binary-oriented society.

Development of the contemporary post-industrial society entails the increasing diversity of family life models. People, making individual choices in this field, face new challenges related to identity formation. In the text presented this issue is discussed on the example of women bringing up children in same-sex relationships. The article presents basic information on the same-sex parenting, underlines the importance of the idea of identity integration in psychology and stresses the lack of contiguity between theories of parental identity development and these ones of homosexual and bisexual identity development. An extensive discussion of the Vivienne Cass’s theory of sexual orientation identity development is the basis for the approximation of potential discrepancies in the identity system of non-heterosexual women taking parental roles. Two main factors relevant to the processes of identity formation were distinguished: the order of the development of the sexual orientation identity and parental identity (the planned and reconstructed families differ in this regard) and the way of establishing and maintaining the relationship with the child (other challenges are faced by biological and social mothers). In the summary, questions requiring future empirical exploration were notified.

The authors analyze selected contemporary Polish academic publications on psychology in order to demonstrate how the concept of gender is constructed in them. They refer to the premises of Kenneth Gergen’s social constructionism, and Ludwik Fleck’s description of connections in common knowledge. In presenting the bases of constructionist ideas, they concentrate on the process of creating knowledge in the social sciences, its interaction with common knowledge, and the significance of gender categories. They also describe the activities that have been undertaken since the 1980s—on the basis of western psychology—to eliminate negative gender stereotypes from scientific and scholarly works. The nature of the errors and shortcomings that could appear at successive stages of the research process forms a departure point for analyzing examples of stereotypical images of men and women in peer-reviewed empirical works published in Poland after 2000. The summary refers to the Polish regulations in regard to the professional ethics of psychologists and in respect to conducting scientific research.

Classical concepts of human development elaborated in the 20th century do not take into consideration the normative development of homosexual people. On the other hand, the depathologization of homosexuality has resulted in an increase of knowledge about gays’ and lesbians’ performance and health. The process of homosexual identity formation, usually beginning in adolescence, has been recognized and well described in the field of psychology. However, this knowledge is rarely integrated with general theories of human development. The article presents the developmental challenges of adolescence and points out the limitations and possibilities of Erikson’s theory in incorporating the experiences of homosexual adolescents. The authors discuss the specific difficulties minority adolescents face growing up in a heteronormative culture and the main stages of homosexual identity formation. The article ends with a reflection on the possibility of integrating the concept of homosexual identity development with Erik Erikson’s theory of identity crisis and its potential solutions in adolescence.