Empowering Adoptive Families
A study about adoptive families in the UK and in Portugal
Who we are
Pedro Alexandre Costa is a clinical psychologist and researcher specialized in developmental and family psychology. He has a doctoral degree in Psychology from the University of Beira Interior, Portugal, in the field of psychosocial adjustment of gay and lesbian parented families, and attitudes toward these families. He currently holds a post-doctoral research fellowship from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology at the William James Center for Research in Portugal and at Birkbeck University of London, with a project titled “Mapping family relationships: A cross cultural comparison of children well-being in adoptive families in Portugal and in the United Kingdom".
Fiona Tasker's research interests span social developmental psychology, family psychology, and LGBT psychology. She is interested in children's social and emotional development in non-traditional families, for example, post-divorce families, families formed by adoptive parenting, and families led by same-sex parents. In particular, she is interested in whether, and how, different family structures and family processes influence children's psychosocial and psychosexual development and their relationships within their families and with their peers. The research has both theoretical and practical applications to inform the debate about new family forms.
Isabel Leal is a psychologist and psychotherapist. Has a PhD in Psychology from the Catholic University of Louvain, and has been teaching at ISPA since 1983, where she has coordinated masters, postgraduate and doctoral programs. She is currently the coordinator of the Translational Group of the William James Center for Research, ISPA. She worked within the Ministry of Health, from 1979 to 1987, in the Civil Hospitals of Lisbon, and then until 2007 in the Maternity Dr. Alfredo da Costa, where she founded and coordinated the Department of Clinical Psychology. She has published 50 books as author and editor, 69 book chapters, 108 articles in conference proceedings books, and 140 articles published in national and international scientific journals.
Selected publications from the research team:
Abreu-Afonso, J., Leal, I., Proença, V. (2015). Motivation for conjugality in couples life cycle and its relation to happiness and satisfaction. Psychology, 6, 1394-1412.
Golombok, S., Mellish, L., Jennings, S., Casey, P., Tasker, F. & Lamb, M. (2014). Adoptive gay father families: Parent-child relationships and children's psychological adjustment. Child Development, 85, 456-68.
Costa, P. A., Almeida, R., Anselmo, C., Ferreira, A., Pereira, H., & Leal, I. (2014). University students’ attitudes toward same-sex parenting and gay and lesbian rights in Portugal. Journal of Homosexuality, 61, 1667-1686.
Costa, P. A., Pereira, H. Leal, I. (2014). The contact hypothesis and attitudes toward same-sex parenting. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 12, 125-136.
Mellish, L, Jennings, S., Tasker, F., Lamb, M. Golombok, S. (2013). Gay, Lesbian and Heterosexual Adoptive families: Family Relationships, Child Adjustment and Adopters’ Experiences. London, UK: British Association for Adoption & Fostering.
Algarvio, S., Leal, I., Maroco, J. (2013). Parental concerns' prevalence and socio-demographic variables in general parenting. Journal of Child Health Care 17, 204-214.
Lopes, V., Leal, I. (2012). Personality and emotional adjustment in infertility. Journal of Reproductive Medicine 57, 153-158.
Costa, P. A., Pereira, H., Leal, I. (2012). Adaptation and development of a Parenting Behaviours Inventory. Psychology, Community & Health 1, 108-126.
Algarvio, S., Leal, I., Maroco, J. (2012). Parental concerns in parents of children attending pre- and primary school: analysis of the Portuguese population by District. Psychology, Community & Health 1, 19-32.
Costa, P. A., Pereira, H., Leal, I. (2012). Homoparenting: The state of the art and the search for normalization. Psicologia, 26, 55-69.
Tasker, F. and Bigner, J. (eds) (2007) Gay and lesbian parenting: New directions. New York: Haworth Press.
Leal, I. (2004). Parenthood: Issues of gender and sexual orientation. In Indisciplinar a Teoria, Estudos Gay, Lésbicos e Queer. (pp. 215-244). Lisboa: Fenda.
Leal, I. (ed.) (2005). Psychology of pregnancy and parenthood. Lisboa: Fim de Século
Swainson, M & Tasker, F (2005) Genograms redrawn: Lesbian couples define their families. Journal of GLBT Family Studies, 1, 3-28.
McCann, D. & Tasker, F. (2000) Lesbian and gay parents as foster carers and adoptive parents. In I. Katz & A. Treacher (Ed.) The Dynamics of Adoption. (pp.147-164) London: Jessica Kingsley.