Some media have suggested that many youths who have previously completed a gender transition are “detransitioning”. Their experience is often framed around the idea of regrets but rare are the articles that provide a nuanced examination of their journey. This article presents the perspectives of youths who have detransitioned or discontinued a transition regarding their experiences and feelings on their journey from transition to detransition. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 20 youths between the age of 16 and 25 years who were recruited on social media and who transitioned and detransitioned or discontinued their transition. Data were analysed according to thematic analysis. Regrets and feelings of satisfaction can both coexist. The processes of transition and discontinuation or detransition appear to be non‐linear and participants do not necessarily return to a cisgender identity. Ambiguous loss theory is applied to frame youth experiences and feelings and to suggest way forward for intervention. Highlights This paper examines the experiences and feelings of youth on their journey from transition to detransition. Their journey is experienced as non‐linear, and often comprised mixed feelings and experiences about transition and detransition steps. Ambiguous loss theory allows a nuanced understanding of feelings and experiences of their journey from transition to detransition.
Background: Research about gender identity development is still in its infancy, especially among youth who experience gender dysphoria and are accessing gender-affirming medical care. Aims: This article contributes to the literature on how gender identity and gender dysphoria is experienced, expressed and addressed by youth who have started, or are just about to start, a gender-affirming medical intervention. Methods: The project draws from qualitative interviews with 36 trans children and youth of different ages and stages of puberty. The data were collected in three specialized Canadian clinics that offer gender-affirming care and they were analyzed through inductive thematic analysis. Results: Two interlinked dimensions of the youth’s lives allow meaning-making of their gender identity: 1) internal or personal and 2) interactional or social processes. Careful analysis reveals three gender identity development pathways that may be taken by youth, from early questioning to the affirmation of their gender identity. A discussion of current models of gender identity development and their limitations concludes the article.
Trans and non-binary youth (TNBY) face high levels of interpersonal and social adversity as well as disproportionate rates of mental health issues such as depression, self-harm and suicidal ideation. Among protective factors, context plays a key role. In addition to parental support, access to gender-affirming medical care begins to emerge as crucial for young people needed them. This paper compares, through thematic analysis, the experiences of TNBY with regard to access and experiences to care in Canada, Switzerland, England, and Australia. It identifies similarities and differences in barriers to access to care, as well as impacts of gender affirming care on young people and their well-being. The article concludes with a discussion on the 2 importance of prompt and easier access to gender-affirming medical care, of training of professionals, and a hypothesis about the role of context in TNBY well-being.have parental consent and have experienced long-lasting gender dysphoria (Coleman et al., 2012). Partially reversible interventions, such as gender-affirming hormones, and irreversible interventions, such as genital surgeries, are also discussed in the SOC as suitable medical treatments under certain conditions (see Coleman et al., 2012, chapter 6 for a detailed description).Although medical interventions for TNBY continue to be a frequent subject of debate (see, e.g., Ashley, 2019; Wren, 2019; Priest, 2019; DeVries 2020), the SOC clearly state that withholding timely access to medical care from TNBY comes with heightened risks of psychological distress and violence; hence, doing so is not a neutral option for TNBY (Coleman et al. 2012). In line with the SOC and their guidelines, gender-affirming research has recently begun to examine the experience of TNBY receiving medical gender-affirming treatments such as puberty suppression or hormones (hereafter 'gender-affirming care') and the barriers they face in accessing it; however, less is known about how the experiences of gender-affirming care affect these individuals. The present article explores the experience of the care received by TNBY in four countries, as well as the perceived impacts of accessing such care. The present study asks the following: What are the experiences of accessing gender-affirming care for TNBY? How does it affect them? How do these experiences compare internationally? Drawing on data from one Canadian study and three parallel studies developed using similar research protocols in England, Switzerland, and Australia, the present article explores TNBY's access to gender-affirming care, as well as how the young people's well-being evolved as a result. The paper concludes by hypothesizing the role that context plays in the observed differences. Context: Same Standards, Different Models of Care 4Although the SOC provide treatment guidance for TNBY, care provision differs between countries. In Canada, gender identity and expression are protected from discrimination at the federal and provincial levels and TNBY have been increasingly visible i...
Qualitative research today must develop tools to better clarify the processes of data interpretation. Studies on reflexivity have made inroads in this direction by stressing the engagement of the researcher's subjectivity: the researcher is no longer "outside," no longer a neutral observer who is affectively and politically detached, but is rather an instrument in the research process. However, reflexivity frequently remains no more than a general attitude whose practical modalities lack clear definition. Using the concept of resonances, originally developed in the field of constructivist systemic therapy (Elkaïm 1989), the present article proposes a tool to account for reflexive and self-reflexive processes more comprehensively. The practical application of the resonances technique is illustrated by the example of a research interview.
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