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Introduction: Childbearing and childrearing challenge parents' physical, social and emotional capacities. Childbearing motivations and desires are indicators of person's psychological readiness to meet these challenges and to establish a healthy bond with the child. Yet, much uncertainty still exists on how childbearing motivations and desires develop in the life course and to what extent early experiences in the family of origin contribute to their development. Objective: The overall goal of the present study was to understand the relationship between early caregiving responsibilities (i.e. childhood parentification) in the family of origin and childbearing motivations and the desire to have a first child. Methods: In the cross-sectional design study, childless Polish adults (N = 384; 20–35 years old) completed a set of self-report measures. Different dimensions of parentification experienced in childhood were measured retrospectively using the Parentification Inventory, and childbearing-related variables were assessed using the Childbearing Questionnaire. Data were analysed using mediation analyses. Results: We found that past experiences of parent- and sibling-oriented parentification were positively associated with the desire to have a child, and these relationships were fully mediated by positive childbearing motivation. Further, our results showed that satisfaction with childhood caregiving responsibilities positively predicted childbearing desire, and this effect was partially mediated by positive and negative childbearing motivation. Conclusion: Individuals' early caring activities, especially when they evoke feelings of satisfaction and appreciation in the child, may play an important role in shaping childbearing motivations and desires that underlie their future reproductive behaviours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Family-of-origin theory suggests that unstable functioning of the family of origin is related to the limited motivation to take advantage of educational and occupational opportunities. This study identifies latent classes of homeless adults' perceptions of families of origin and compares their life-course patterns. Four latent classes were identified in a sample of 831 homeless men living in the Warsaw agglomeration, Poland: adult children of multi-problem non-nuclear families (10%), adult children of non-nuclear families with negatively attached relationships (10%), adult children of multi-problem nuclear families (29%), and adult children of well-functioning families (51%). Their reports were compared with those of a control group of 731 housed men. Consistent with the family-of-origin and resilience theories, homelessness in adult children of troubled families was more frequently preceded by controllable events, such as criminal activity, alcohol misuse, and violence, than by problems less or indirectly related to their own decisions, including disability, health difficulties, and long-term unemployment, which were more prevalent in adult children of well-functioning families. Despite the high disparities in school exclusion, no significant differences in first-job experience were observed across the latent classes. The level of functioning of the family of origin is likely to differentiate pathways to homelessness. The family-of-origin theory contributes to the aetiology of homelessness, which may have implications for primary prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The subject of the article is the parental experience of coming out of a child with a queer identity, in the context of a socio-political landscape in which homophobia and transphobia are a significant problem. Drawing on the results of two empirical studies conducted in Poland, the authors focus attention on two themes: (1) parents' reactions to their children's coming out as queer persons, and (2) the disclosure of the identity of a "parent of a queer person." Analysis of the data indicates the complexity and processuality of parental experiences and the variety of strategies used by them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The absence of even one parent has short- and long-term effects on the child's current and future health. The purpose of the study was to determine whether there is a long-term relationship between the type of family in which men were raised and an individual's adult social position, well-being in adulthood and their biological condition regardless of social status in adulthood., Materials and Methods: Data for 4528 males, aged 25-80 years, were selected from the archives of the Lower Silesian Medical Centre in Wrocław, Poland. A total of 329 men declared that they grew up in incomplete families. Height, weight, % fat, cardiovascular and respiratory systems, blood parameters, and health of men who grew up in complete or incomplete families were compared., Results: Growing up in an incomplete family reduced chances for better education, decreased life satisfaction in adulthood, and negatively affected the final height. After taking into account the education achieved, the effect persisted only for diastolic blood pressure, creatinine, and serum phosphorus levels., Conclusions: Growing up in an incomplete family has a significant impact on male's socioeconomic position (SES), life satisfaction, and final height. A poorer quality of diet is proposed as an early life risk factor for adult health.