As more women choose to forgo motherhood, childfree women and people assigned female at birth (AFAB) are important to study, particularly given pronatalist ideals that can make the choice not to have children difficult to exercise. Although temporary contraception prevents motherhood, physicians sometimes discourage or deny women access to more permanent options, including sterilization, due to their belief that childfree women and those AFAB will regret their decision. From a reproductive justice framework, we examined psychological outcomes of sterilization approval and denials among a sample of 154 childfree women and nonbinary people AFAB who sought and either obtained or were denied sterilization. Participants completed measures of psychological well-being, self-esteem, and sexual quality of life. Childfree participants who obtained sterilization reported higher self-esteem, better sexual quality, and higher well-being than childfree individuals who were denied the procedure. Neither age nor time since making the sterilization request accounted for the differences between the groups in terms of sexual quality of life and psychological well-being. Collectively, these findings offer the first empirical evidence of the potential outcomes among childfree women seeking sterilization.

Objective Currently, there is strong evidence to demonstrate neuroanatomical changes in transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) adults following gender-affirming hormonal therapy (GHT). However, there has been no systematic review of the literature pertaining to GHTs’ neuronal effects. Such a review would help develop consensus within neuropsychology regarding standards of assessment with TGNC individuals. Data Selection Studies were only included if they assessed neuropsychological or neuroanatomical brain structure changes or functioning following GHT in the TGNC population. Search terms such as “neuropsychology” and “transgender” were entered in Medline, PsychINFO, and ProQuest. The 24 qualifying studies’ methodological and outcome data were critically reviewed by both researchers to reduce bias. Data Synthesis Neuroanatomical changes within the subcortical structures are found in TGNC individuals who received GHT over a longer duration. Current guidelines and recommendations do not consider the age of transition, dosage, and duration of GHT when interpreting neurocognitive data of TGNC patients; thus, it can lead to validity issues when selecting appropriate norms and interpreting neurocognitive domains with expected sex differences (i.e., visual, verbal, motor). Conclusion The literature review results indicate a paucity of guidelines and analysis related to the ethical practice of neuropsychological evaluation for TGNC individuals. Moving forward, guidelines need to be developed surrounding the age of transition, dosage, and duration of GHT when interpreting brain-behavior relationships on neuropsychological assessments.

Objective Mindfulness has been recognized as an evidence-based treatment in a range of psychological and medical (i.e., chronic pain, dementia, diabetes) conditions. Despite several randomized and non-randomized control trials, there continues to be a lack of consensus regarding mindfulness as an effective treatment for individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Methods PsychINFO, Medline, ProQuest, and Embase, were searched using a combination of terms such as “Parkinson’s” and “Mindfulness” or “Meditation.” Studies were included if they reported method, participants, interventions used, and outcomes. Results were extracted and assessed for quality and relevance. Data Synthesis The systematic analysis revealed that mindfulness was primarily effective in reducing non-motor symptoms of PD, except for one survey study of PD patients, which indicated that mindfulness was associated with improved motor symptoms. Otherwise, mindfulness resulted in decreased anxiety and distress while also improving social support. Of the two studies that included caregivers in treatment, mindfulness was associated with reduced caregiver burden. Conclusion The results supported the use of mindfulness as an effective adjunct to PD treatment, with the strongest effects on non-motor symptoms and caregiver distress. Notably, the studies included were limited by small sample sizes and patients with mild to moderate symptoms of PD. Further random controlled trials with larger sample sizes and differing degrees of PD severity are needed to conclusively determine the effects of mindfulness in treating PD.