We used national-level data to compare worker demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, work arrangements, psychosocial working conditions, safety and health, job security, wages and benefits, and worker health and well-being before the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2018, and in the late stage of the pandemic, in 2022. Understanding these changes helps inform some of the potential ways these factors may shape the future of work. We analyzed self-reported and publicly available data from the 2018 and 2022 waves of the General Social Survey (GSS)-Quality of Worklife (QWL) module, focusing on adults working part-time or full-time. We describe differences in the broad categories of interest mentioned above, as well as subcategories within each. For example, we assessed changes in psychosocial working conditions by focusing on subcategories that included job demands, job control, role conflict, resource adequacy, job support, work flexibility, and work and family interface, that is, the boundaries between work and family life. We used Mann-Whitney tests to assess statistically significant changes, using weighted, nationally representative worker samples (N = 1473 in 2018; N = 2112 in 2022). Between 2018 and 2022, we observed two changes in work arrangements; the share of independent contractors increased (from 12.4% to 14.4%) while the share of those working full-time decreased (from 81.3% to 78.5%). Psychosocial conditions exhibited mixed trends; job demands and control showed marginal improvement, while role conflict, resource adequacy, and job support worsened. The share of workers who mainly worked at home increased (6.6%-17.2%), alongside those experiencing family-work conflict (from 26% to 32%). Health and well-being also worsened, with more workers reporting lower job satisfaction and very often feeling used up (from 13.1% to 16.0%). In addition, workers reported more days in poor mental health (from 3.6 to 4.4 days) and days with activity limitations (from 1.6 to 2.2) in the past 30 days. The quality of worklife in 2022 differed meaningfully from 2018, though not uniformly for better or worse. For example, increases in working at home and the share of independent contractor arrangements suggest different potential long-term consequences for worker well-being. Continued monitoring and more nuanced analyses are essential to understanding the evolving future of work.

Nemaline myopathy (NM) is a rare childhood-onset neuromuscular disorder requiring long-term home care. Its progression places a significant emotional and physical burden on parents, especially without formal support. A descriptive phenomenological study was conducted with 17 parents of children diagnosed with nemaline myopathy in Spain. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, transcribed verbatim and analysed using Giorgi's thematic analysis method. Four central themes emerged: (1) adapting to the unpredictable changes of the disease, in which parents described the need for continuous adaptation to evolving clinical demands; (2) living under continuous caregiving demands, reflecting the temporal, physical and emotional intensity of uninterrupted caregiving; (3) relief and uncertainty in shared care, where formal support services were experienced as essential yet unstable; and (4) when caregiving reorganizes family life, illustrating how caregiving responsibilities progressively reshaped parents' work, social participation and daily routines. Caring for a child with NM profoundly transforms family life. This study highlights the need for coordinated and parent-centered support to ensure sustainable care and protect parents' well-being in their role as caregivers.

The impact of poor sleep on women's midlife transition: A qualitative study using interpretative phenomenological analysis.

BackgroundWith the rise in cancers, palliative care (PC) is increasingly important for improving the quality of life for patients and families. Systematically assessing PC needs is crucial for providing appropriate services.ObjectiveTo develop and validate an instrument (Palliative-care-Need Assessment-Tool [P-NAT]) to identify PC needs of cancer patients.MethodsMixed-method sequential exploratory design was used. The P-NAT development and validation was done in 3 phases: item generation & reduction, scale development, and scale evaluation. Items were generated in English based on literature and key informant interviews followed by item reduction with expert opinion. Forward and backward translation done (Sinhala/English). Translated Sinhala version was assessed for face and content validity. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was done with 302 subjects. Construct validity was assessed through Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) on another 309 participants, followed by convergent validity in a subsample of 201. Test-retest reliability and internal consistency were assessed using Spearman r and Cronbach α, respectively.ResultsAfter reduction, 53 items were selected for the scale. The EFA identified 12 factors with 45 items. The CFA confirmed an 8-factor model as the best fit (root mean square of approximation = 0.068, CFI = 0.96, PNFI = 0.85). The overall scale had Cronbach α 0.919, Spearman r 0.986 (P < .01). Spearman r coefficient between P-NAT and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Core Questionnaire was 0.668.Conclusions and recommendationsThe P-NAT is a valid, reliable tool to assess PC needs among cancer patients. The P-NAT is recommended for rapid comprehensive assessment at hospital and community settings.

Parenting stress among clinical nurses has been associated with turnover-related outcomes. For many nurses, critical periods of career development and accumulated clinical responsibility overlap with reproductive and early parenting years. Features of nursing work may shape parenting stress through demands related to scheduling, workload, and limited flexibility. Integrative literature review. An integrative literature review was conducted following the methodological framework of Whittemore and Knafl. The final searches across three databases (CINAHL Complete, Medline, and Embase) were completed on May 14, 2026. Eligible articles were published in English, addressed parenting stress, and, when empirical, included nurses as a distinct population. Reporting followed PRISMA guidelines. Eight articles met all inclusion criteria. Countries of origin included South Korea, Turkey, and China. Approximately 1667 nurse-parent participants were represented across the included studies. Main themes included as follows: (1) Work-Family Role Conflict and Parenting Stress, (2) Parenting Stress Across Career and Family Life Stages, (3) Parenting Stress and Nurse Workforce Outcomes, and (4) Organizational and Structural Contributors to Parenting Stress. Parenting stress appears to be a relevant nursing workforce issue shaped by structural conditions of practice. The structure and demands of patient care may intensify parenting stress. Additional research is needed to examine the effects of parenting stress in clinical nurses and the implications for nurse retention. Organizational and policy-level interventions (including family-friendly scheduling, accessible childcare, and structured peer support programs) may support workforce sustainability among nurse-parents.

Intermittent closures of rural maternity units in northern Sweden disrupt access to essential sexual and reproductive health services, making intrapartum care unpredictable for local women. While long travel distances have been linked to adverse outcomes, less is known about how women view the closures and prepare for birth when local services are unavailable. Hence, the aim of this study is to analyse how women make sense of and negotiate the meaning of their pregnancy and childbirth in relation to intermittent maternity unit closures in rural contexts. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 women who were pregnant or had given birth between May 2024 and August 2025 and lived in the catchment area of a rural maternity unit with repeated closures. Interviews were conducted in Swedish in September-November 2025, transcribed verbatim and analysed using discourse psychology to identify interpretative repertoires and subject positions. The closures created a discursive gap in which established expectations about where and how birth should take place no longer functioned as stable points of reference. Three interpretative repertoires were identified: equity and legitimacy, where women framed rural living as a chosen life yet treated secure maternity care as non-negotiable; moral responsibility, where risk management shifted from system-level preparedness to women's own planning, including preparing for both hospital and roadside birth; and bodily vulnerability and dignity, where distance, admission thresholds and travel reshaped bodily labour, dignity and help-seeking, sometimes leading women to delay or avoid contacting healthcare services despite their concerns. Intermittent closures disrupt access to maternity care and shift the responsibility for managing uncertainty and risk from the healthcare system to women themselves. Access to sexual and reproductive health services is more than a matter of geographical availability; it is shaped by how responsibility and legitimacy are negotiated in practice. Maternity services function as a clinical service and as a condition for whether family life feels possible and sustainable in rural communities.

The family is the smallest social unit and plays an important role in shaping individual character and personality. In Islam, moral conduct within the family occupies a central position as it regulates relationships between parents and children, husbands and wives, and among family members. However, the dynamics of modern life often present challenges to the implementation of these moral values. This study aims to analyze the concept of family morality from an Islamic perspective, identify its fundamental principles, and examine its relevance in contemporary family life. The research employs a qualitative approach using a literature study method, analyzing primary sources such as the Qur’an and Hadith, as well as secondary sources from classical and contemporary literature on family ethics. Data were analyzed using a descriptive-analytical approach. The findings indicate that Islamic family morality is grounded in the values of compassion, respect, responsibility, and justice, which positively contribute to psychological well-being and social stability. Future studies are recommended to investigate the empirical implementation of Islamic family morality in modern societal contexts.

The present study was designed to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on college students' experiences from their parents' perspective. Parents from across the United States were surveyed twice, summer 2020 (T1) and fall 2020 (T2). Building on Bronfenbrenner's bioecological theory, parents reported on their own and their students' well-being, student learning challenges, and the impact of COVID-19 on family life. Parents also reported their emotional support and stress at T2. Additionally, parents responded to open-ended questions describing how COVID-19 impacted student learning and student goals. Results showed that parental confidence in collegiate decision making diminished during this time, as did physical health and overall well-being for parents and parent reports of student well-being. Overall, parents reported increasing concern for student mental health from summer to fall 2020. First-generation college parents reported higher well-being for themselves and their students than continuing-generation parents. By contrast, parents of first-year students reported that their students were doing significantly worse than parents of students in later years. Parents who had more emotional support and less stress reported greater student well-being. College parent and family programs are discussed as a key pathway for providing resources and support for college families. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

ABSTRACT Systemic stressors often contribute to African American couples experiencing higher rates of dissolution and instability than their White counterparts. Research suggests that religious beliefs and practices may be important in helping them marry and remain married. However, reliance on common measures of religiosity—such as church attendance—limits our understanding of the nuances contributing to maintaining strong marital bonds. This study addresses this gap by examining religious coping, generally, and deferred religious coping, specifically, among middle- and old-age African American couples in enduring marriages. Semistructured interviews with 35 African American couples in long-term marriages revealed that each couple reported high levels of marital happiness and a strong sense that their family lives were guided by their religious beliefs. Qualitative data were analyzed through open coding and numeric content analysis. Three salient themes emerged regarding deferred religious coping and alleviation of social and relational burdens among couples: (1) “Sometimes you must give your marriage to God,” (2) “Don’t let work stress become work distress,” and (3) “In sickness and in health, but really in sickness.” Each theme provides depth in understanding how, why, and when strong African American couples use deferred religious coping to address issues that could threaten relational stability.

The diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer often disrupt patients' and their spouses' established family lives, requiring them to reestablish a sense of balance. This study aims to develop and evaluate a dyadic co-learning intervention derived from the activation-reinforcement-adjustment theory of family resilience for patients with prostate cancer and their spouses. An experimental study design was employed. Prostate cancer patients and their spouses (n=60 pairs) will be recruited from the outpatient department. Following baseline assessment, participants will be randomly assigned to either the intervention group or the control group (1:1). The intervention group receives an 8 week dyadic co-learning intervention and usual care, whereas the control group receives usual care. All participants complete follow-up assessments at 10 weeks and 16 weeks after the pretest. Structured questionnaires included the Resilience Scale, the Walsh Family Resilience Questionnaire, the Loneliness Scale, the Chinese Happiness Inventory, the Brief Fatigue Inventory and the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite. Statistical analyses include independent-samples t tests, χ2 tests and mixed linear models. This study protocol was approved by the Chang Gung Medical Foundation Institutional Review Board (No. 202 202 198B0). The study findings will be disseminated through international conferences and publication in peer-reviewed journals. ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT07196488 (First Submitted 2025-09-06).

In many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), older adults rely on family and community networks for health care, yet little is known about how limited familial ties shape their health-seeking behaviors. Given that Indonesia has the world's fourth-largest population that is rapidly aging, this study examines how different dimensions of limited familial ties (spousal absence, solo-living arrangements, geographical separation from adult children, parent-child disconnection) are associated with health-seeking practices among older Indonesians, and whether community engagement and trust moderate these relationships. Using data from Wave 5 of the Indonesia Family Life Survey (N = 2,809 adults aged 60+), we apply latent class analysis to identify distinct health-seeking profiles. Multinomial logistic regression models assess associations between family ties and health-seeking profiles and test interaction effects with community engagement and trust. We identify four distinct health-seeking profiles: Limited, Basic Routine, Traditional, and Comprehensive. Spousal absence is associated with lower engagement in basic routine health-seeking. Living alone with children nearby is associated with more limited health-seeking, whereas parent-child disconnection is linked to greater likelihood of comprehensive health-seeking. While community trust partially compensates for weak familial ties, community engagement may exacerbate gaps in health-seeking among older adults with varying levels of kin availability. Health-seeking behaviors in later life reflect complex interactions between kin availability, relational dynamics, and community context. Reliance on community relationships to mitigate gaps created by absent kin should be approached with caution. Policies should support inclusive, culturally grounded health interventions that account for diverse family structures and care practices.

In the middle-aged and older population, the association between different levels of physical activity and the risk of stroke remains unclear. Data were sourced from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. A cross-sectional analysis of risk factors for stroke incidence in the middle-aged and older population was conducted. Mendelian randomisation analyses, conducted using European population data, were utilised to assess causality between physical activity and the reduction of stroke risk. A total of 1368 (7.05%) participants developed stroke among the 19,395 participants. The incidence of stroke was higher among participants aged ≥65years (OR 1.049, 95% CI 1.043-1.055, P<0.001), those married but separated (OR 2.004, 95% CI 1.091-3.683, P=0.025) and widowed individuals (OR 1.669, 95% CI 1.452-1.919, P<0.001). After adjusting for marital status and education level, being aged ≥65years (OR 2.398, 95% CI 2.139-2.668, P<0.001) was associated with an increased risk of stroke incidence. Being female (OR 0.834, 95% CI 0.746-0.933, P＝0.001) was associated with a decreased risk of stroke incidence. Additionally, moderate-intensity physical activity (OR 0.755, 95% CI 0.652-0.874, P<0.001) and high-intensity physical activity (OR 0.498, 95% CI 0.433-0.572, P<0.001) were also associated with a reduced risk of stroke incidence. The Mendelian randomisation analyses, leveraging the inverse variance weighted method, unveiled substantial causal links between physical activity and stroke risk. Engaging in moderate physical activity could lower the risk of stroke. Additionally, being female, having higher levels of education and enjoying a satisfying family life may also contribute to reducing the risk of stroke incidence.

ABSTRACT This special issue of Sociological Focus examines religion among Black Americans as a central arena of Black social, political, and institutional life. Building on a sociological lineage that extends from W. E. B. Du Bois and E. Franklin Frazier to C. Eric Lincoln, Lawrence H. Mamiya, Linda Chatters, and Robert Joseph Taylor, the introduction situates Black religion as both an interpretive resource and a structurally embedded social institution. The 10 articles collected here demonstrate that religious life is not reducible to belief or attendance, but is enacted through institutions, relationships, practices, and meanings that shape health, family life, coping, aging, social connection, and political identity. Organized into three thematic clusters—Religion, Health, and Well-Being; Religious Coping and Resilience; and Patterns and Contexts of Religious Participation—the issue highlights the multidimensional character of Black religious life and the importance of within-group analysis. Collectively, these articles show how religious involvement is shaped by racialized social conditions while also serving as a resource for meaning making, relational support, and collective life. The introduction concludes by describing several avenues of future research.

ABSTRACT This study examines how the quantity and quality of post-separation interactions among the nonresident parent, the resident parent, and the child jointly shape children’s emotional problems and hyperactivity. Post-separation families face the challenge of reorganizing family life, such as the care of minors. This has become increasingly complex because more families opt for shared-care models involving frequent contact with both parents. Previous research on children’s mental health in post-separation families has either focused on the quantity of contact or the quality of family ties, but their joint impact is understudied. Using data from the panel “Growing up in Germany” (N = 353 children), the interaction quantity was measured by the frequency of contact between the nonresident parent and the child, and the interaction quality between the parents by their level of coparenting problems. Frequent conflicts in the coparenting relationship between the resident and nonresident parent, combined with frequent or occasional contact between the child and the nonresident parent, were risk factors for emotional problems only. Having no contact and no coparenting relationship was also associated with more emotional problems. Our results highlight that emotional adjustment specifically seems to depend on constructive cooperation between both parents and sustained parent–child contact.

ABSTRACT While international students' post‐graduation migration decisions have received growing scholarly attention, existing research often reduces them to binary outcomes and explains them mainly in terms of economic rationality, overlooking the gendered and socially embedded nature of these processes. Drawing on the Gendered Geographies of Power framework, this study examines how Chinese female international students navigate migration decisions at the intersection of the expanded agency enabled by transnational mobility and enduring gendered obligations. Based on interviews with 48 graduates from European and North American universities, the study identifies five distinct trajectories: Determined Returnees, Reluctant Returnees, Nonconformist Stayers, Ambivalent Stayers, and Opportunity‐oriented Cosmopolitans. These patterns reveal that migration is not a discrete choice but a process of gendered meaning‐making driven by the negotiation of gender norms across multiple geographic scales—from the body and family to the nation‐state. The findings highlight a critical tension between cognitive agency and corporeal agency: while overseas education provides a reflexive space to reshape gendered self‐understandings, actual migration outcomes remain strongly conditioned by dynamics at the family scale. Specifically, against the backdrop of China's One‐Child Policy and limited public eldercare, women's mobility becomes increasingly tethered to affective filial obligations and intergenerational care responsibilities. The study contributes to international student migration literature by conceptualizing migration as a socially embedded process of meaning‐making rather than a static rational calculation. It highlights the emotional tensions involved in these negotiations and reveals a hybrid gender order in contemporary China, in which women's increased educational attainment coexists with enduring patriarchal expectations in family life.

Joy is an underexplored dimension in autism research, particularly within family life. This qualitative study examined how autistic adolescents and young adults (AYAs) and their families experience and co-create joy. Using a phenomenological design and reflexive thematic analysis, we analyzed 2-week family joy journals from six families (17 participants: six AYAs, two siblings, and nine caregivers). Journal entries revealed joy as a relational process embedded in everyday routines, creative engagement, and shared experiences. Three overarching themes emerged: Experiences of Everyday Joy (sensory pleasures, creativity, and togetherness), the Relational Nature of Joy (co-experienced joy and creativity), and the Layered Nature of Joy (complex intersections of sensory, emotional, and social dimensions). Families described joy as spontaneous yet deeply meaningful, often heightened by the journaling process. Findings challenge deficit-based narratives by highlighting emotional richness and enjoyment experienced within autistic AYAs and their families. Journaling may hold promise as a supportive routine by drawing attention to protective relational processes such as empathy, reciprocity, and connection. This study highlights the significance of acknowledging joy as a potential catalyst for well-being and flourishing in autism research and practice.Lay AbstractJoy is an essential part of life, yet it is rarely studied in autism research. This study explored how autistic adolescents and young adults (AYAs) and their families experience joy in everyday life. We invited six families to keep a "joy journal" for 2 weeks, asking them to write down what brought them joy each day. Seventeen people participated, including six autistic AYAs, two siblings, and nine caregivers. The family joy journals revealed that joy often stemmed from simple, familiar activities, such as reading, listening to music, sharing meals, or spending time with pets. Creative activities, such as drawing, dancing, and playing games, were also familiar sources of joy. Families described joy as something that happens together, not just alone. Many caregivers wrote about feeling joy when they saw their child happy or proud, and AYAs often mentioned enjoying time with family and friends. Three main themes emerged: Experiences of Everyday Joy, the Relational Nature of Joy, and Layered Experiences of Joy, in which sensory pleasure, emotional connection, and shared routines combine. Families reported that the journaling process helped them notice and appreciate joyful moments more frequently. These findings challenge stereotypes that autistic people lack positive emotions. Instead, they show that joy is abundant and deeply relational in autistic AYAs and their families. Recognizing and nurturing joy can strengthen family bonds and support well-being. Simple practices like joy journaling may help families focus on their strengths and create more supportive environments.

Drawing on grounded theory and 56 integrated cases in contemporary China, this study develops the concept of the Remaking of Chinese Kinship through AI Grief-Tech to explain how AI-mediated posthumous interaction reshapes bereavement, relational privacy, and family boundaries. This study theorizes AI grief-tech as a socio-technical mechanism through which the dead are reinserted into family life as communicatively accessible presences. Through systematic coding, five convergent dimensions are identified—Affective Continuity, Proxy Governance, Relational Exposure, Ritual Commercialization, and Kinship Reordering—which jointly produce a new regime of digitally mediated mourning. In this regime, remembrance becomes interactive, privacy becomes relationally negotiated, and kinship is reorganized through proxy authority, emotional governance, and platformized memorial practices. The study offers a mechanism-centered framework linking digital afterlife technologies, relational privacy, and Chinese kinship, demonstrating how AI grief-tech simultaneously extends attachment and reconfigures family order.

ABSTRACT This article investigates how Norwegian Child Welfare Service (CWS) 1 workers approach challenging cases. I situate the study in the context of growing public criticism of CWS across reports, reviews, and media that targets perceived deficiencies in their professional competencies, assessment methods, and decision-making processes. These tasks are distinguished by their fundamental complexity, particularly when assessments of problems and solutions concern the intricate and variegated nature of family life situations. The empirical material consists of interviews with 17 CWS workers and observations conducted at four CWS units. Applying thematic analysis, two overarching themes were thus established: 1) Defining the CWS mandate, and 2) Defining CWS interventions. Employing the concepts of boundary work and street-level bureaucracy, the analysis demonstrates how challenges arise at the intersection of the CWS mandate and those of other welfare services, which can invariably overlap or conflict. The findings suggest that the attendant boundary work involves negotiating the very identity of CWS itself – an onerous, ongoing responsibility placed on frontline workers.

The book entitled “Handbook of Families in the Arab Gulf States” written by Md Mizanur Rahman et al. (2025) is an academic literature that presents a comprehensive discussion on family law studies to understand the dynamics of social life in the Arab Gulf region (GCC) namely Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain which are undergoing massive social, economic, and cultural transformations due to the currents of globalization and the demands of modernization. The author thoroughly examines changes in family structures, communication patterns, educational frameworks, and marital trends resulting from modern demands. Furthermore, the author highlights the role of women within the family (gender dynamics), patriarchal culture, and divorce. The author posits that state legal policies and technological advancements significantly contribute to shaping family life in the region. Concurrently, migrant families also influence parenting practices and cross-cultural relations within a nation.This book utilizes a scientific approach drawing upon auxiliary disciplines, including sociology, anthropology, psychology, economics, politics, and law. The objective of this book is to provide a comprehensive understanding of how family life in the Gulf states is undergoing massive shifts driven by globalization and modernization. Additionally, it aims to offer deep insights into the role of the family in society, serving as both an object and a subject of change. Within the context of family law, this book examines family law studies from sociological and anthropological perspectives.

This article highlights the importance of intergenerational family relationships to understanding experiences of climate anxiety. Based on online qualitative research conducted in Britain in 2021, our findings reveal the extent of distress caused by the climate crisis in everyday life and how conversations within families about environmental issues remain challenging for people of all ages despite increased public discourse on the topic. Existing research argues that climate action is often the best solution to climate anxiety yet overlooks the ways that family dynamics can limit participation in that action. We argue that family relationships significantly influence experiences of climate anxiety, shape perceptions about the future and affect participation in action. Our specific attention to climate anxiety and its relationship to family life offers an original perspective to scholarship and aims to better understand the complex emotional, social and relational effects of climate breakdown.