Reports on fertility of adults born very preterm or very low birth weight (VP/VLBW: <32 weeks of gestation/<1500g) at various ages showed no differences or lower fertility of VP/VLBW adults compared to their term-born peers. According to the life history theory, early life adversities (e.g., VP/VLBW) which indicate a higher mortality risk may orient one to adjust his/her reproductive timing, where VP/VLBW may adopt a fast life history strategy to live and reproduce faster. Alternatively, the sexual selection theory suggests that VP/VLBW may be outcompeted by their healthy, term-born peers for a long-term romantic partner to reproduce and thus have lower fertility. We hypothesised that VP/VLBW may have an overall lower fertility but once partnered they may reproduce early.

The Bavarian Longitudinal Study is a prospective population-based cohort study conducted in Germany, with participants born between Jan 1, 1985 to March 31, 1986 and followed up repeatedly to 34-35 years. A total of 212 VP/VLBW and 202 term-born participants were included. We performed univariable and hierarchical multivariable Cox proportional hazards regressions to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for fertility associated with VP/VLBW adjusting for individual factors. Estimations were compared between early and late reproductive windows (<30y vs ≥30ys). As hypothesised, VP/VLBW adults have an overall lower fertility compared to term-born adults (HR 0.56, 95% CI 0.42-0.76); however, the association of VP/VLBW with lower fertility was significant during the late (HR 0.46, 95% CI 0.31-0.68) but not early (HR 0.73, 95% CI 0.41-1.14) reproductive window. This fertility gap significantly reduced after adjusting for sociodemographic factors (e.g., partnering). Partnering most strongly associated with fertility across the investigated reproductive window. To conclude, VP/VLBW had an overall lower fertility, but their fertility may not be impaired until their late reproductive window. Partnering was key to fertility.

Substance use remains a significant public health concern, particularly among young people. Although substance use typically begins in adolescence, it often peaks during emerging adulthood (18-29 years) due to the specific characteristics of this stage, such as exploration and self-focus. However, while many studies examine substance use during adolescence, far fewer focus on emerging adulthood.

This study aims to analyze trends in alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis use —the three most commonly used substances— during emerging adulthood, considering gender differences. A total of 72 men and 153 women completed surveys in 2015 (Mean age = 20 years old), 2018 (Mean age = 24 years old), and 2023-24 (Mean age = 29 years old).

Results indicate a linear increase in alcohol and cannabis use (small to medium effect size) and stability in tobacco use. Men and women consume tobacco at similar rates, while men consume more alcohol and cannabis than women (small effect size). There is no wave*gender interaction in any of the three substances analyzed.

Family social support and emotional intelligence at Wave 1 emerge as predictors of substance use at Wave 3. The findings highlight the need for interventions during this period to prevent the progression of substance use, particularly alcohol and cannabis.

Authenticity, understood as internal coherence, fidelity to oneself, and resistance to external influences, may be considered as a possible outcome of identity formation processes, closely related to Erikson's virtue of fidelity. Authentic living, in turn, is also considered a significant predictor of well-being, especially eudaimonic. However, the interconnections between these phenomena have not been thoroughly investigated. Therefore, this study hypothesized a potential mediating role of identity processes in the relationship between authenticity and well-being.

To test this hypothesis, the study involving 562 individuals aged 18 to 36 (Mage = 28.10, SD = 4.91; 52.5% female) was conducted. The examined model included three aspects of authenticity (self-alienation, authentic living, and accepting external influences) mediating the relationship between three identity processes (commitment, in-depth exploration, and reconsideration of commitment) and psychological well-being. Four domains important for the identity formation of young adults were examined: character traits, aims and plans for the future, worldview, and relationships with friends and acquaintances.

Results indicated that the proposed model fit the data well in all examined domains (CFI ranged from .907 to .923; RMSEA ranged from .061 to .069). Commitment led to a decrease in self-alienation and acceptance of external influences, an increase in authentic living, and consequently, resulted in increased psychological well-being. In-depth exploration and reconsideration of commitment had the opposite effects. Some differences were also observed between the examined life domains.

The findings shed light on a deeper understanding of the complex interplay between identity processes, authenticity, and well-being. They demonstrate that the previously known relationship between identity processes and well-being is not direct, as authentic living mediates its.

Parental gatekeeping is a phenomenon referring to the aspect of a co-parenting relationship between parents and captures how they influence the second parent’s functioning in a parental role by control, encouragement and discouragement. Although it is a relevant topic for family studies, most of the former research on predictors of parental gatekeeping was cross-sectional and limited to mothers. Thus, we conducted a preregistered longitudinal dyadic study to investigate antenatal predictors of parental gatekeeping among men and women.

We recruited 234 couples of first-time Polish mothers and fathers aged from 21 to 46 (M = 30.92; SD = 4.00). The first wave was conducted during the second or third trimester of pregnancy, and the second wave was one year after childbirth. Adopting Structural Equation Modelling, we explored personality traits, perfectionism, parental identity, romantic identity and the intensity of depressive symptoms during pregnancy as the potential predictors of mothers’ and fathers’ gatekeeping.

Our results revealed many significant differences between mothers and fathers in terms of antenatal predictors of further parental gatekeeping. The only two joint predictors were stronger commitment and in-depth exploration, which predicted higher encouragement. For mothers, we also found that e.g. stronger control was predicted by lower commitment in the romantic domain and stronger depression symptoms, while stronger discouragement was by lower agreeableness, lower intellect (openness), lower commitment in the romantic domain and stronger depression symptoms. For fathers, we additionally found that stronger control was predicted by lower conscientiousness and emotional stability, stronger encouragement by higher extraversion, and stronger discouragement by stronger commitment in the parental domain.

Our findings suggest that different factors may shape maternal and paternal gatekeeping. These results shed new light on the predictors of parental gatekeeping and may importantly influence psychological practice in the perinatal period.