Raising Children in Diverse Family Structures: an international collaboration with the Families, Adoption and Diversity Lab at The University of Kentucky

• Grant number: 24/18946-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: February 01, 2025
• End date: April 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Human Development Psychology
• Principal Investigator: Débora de Hollanda Souza
• Grantee: Lucas Henrique Rimoldi de Souza
• Supervisor: Rachel H Farr
• Host Institution: Centro de Educação e Ciências Humanas (CECH). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Kentucky (UK), United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 24/03855-1 - Raising children in diversity: Coparenting and same-sex couples' perspectives in Brazil, BP.IC

Abstract

This study explores the evolving landscape of LGBTQ+ family's perspectives considering recent rights and the persistent barriers faced by these families in both the American and Brazilian contexts. Current research has not sufficiently addressed the diverse experiences of older children with LGBTQ+ parents, particularly regarding identity development and community belonging at various developmental stages and social contexts. This research gap is explored by the Queer-Parent and Adolescent Lives (Q-PAL) study, conducted by Dr Farr's Families, Adoption, and Diversity Lab (FAD Lab), which emphasizes intersectionality by including families with minoritized racial and ethnic identities, as well as those from lower-income backgrounds. This longitudinal study investigates experiences of discrimination, mental and physical health, and many family dynamics among LGBTQ+ families. Therefore, the Scientific Initiation project associated with this BEPE proposal (FAPESP #2024/03855-1) aims to investigate LGBTQ+ parents' perspectives on raising adolescent children. The present application seeks support for a 3-month visit to Dr. Rachel Farr's laboratory at the University of Kentucky. Dr. Farr and her research group are renowned worldwide for their work on LGBTQ+ families. Her work is especially relevant to the candidate's research project. The candidate's proposed research internship will provide a unique opportunity for the candidate to learn more about different research methods, which are relevant to his ongoing research. More specifically, he will be trained in qualitative data collection, coding, and reflexive thematic analysis. Moreover, this proposal represents a valuable opportunity to start an international collaboration between Universidade Federal de São Carlos and the University of Kentucky that may prove fruitful for students from the student's home university who might be interested in pursuing this line of investigation in the future. The collaboration can also move towards a greater understanding of LGBTQ+ family research in Brazil, thereby promoting further research in this underserved area.