Caring for gender diverse children and adolescents in Italy: A mixed-method investigation of clinicians’ knowledge and approach to clinical practice

Abstract

Introduction: In today’s Italy, gender diversity has assumed a remarkable resonance and visibility in both scientific and popular literature, which has facilitated the development of studies regarding treatments and support for children and adolescents with gender-related issues. Aim: the aim of this study was to conduct a preliminary evaluation of how Italian clinicians (psychologists and pediatricians) perceive gender variant children and adolescents, evaluating their approach to clinical practice. Methods: An online questionnaire directed to clinicians regarding their experience with, and perceptions of, gender variant children and adolescents was used for the first part of the research. In the second part of this study, Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) methodology was applied to semi-structured interviews aimed at investigating clinicians’ approach to clinical practice. Results: Professionals reported 374 cases, including 200 children (aged 2–11 years) and 174 adolescents (aged 12–19 years); a total of 10 interviews were conducted with professionals. Conclusion: This study highlights the increase of gender variant children and adolescents seen by professionals, but also the poor awareness of Italian professionals about gender diversity and their care, as well as an absence of a network model of intervention.

Gender Diverse Children and Adolescents in Italy: A Qualitative Study on Specialized Centers’ Model of Care and Network

“…In some cases, the agencies' psychological work with parents focused on helping them to elaborate the loss of their child's natal gender (and usually the anticipation of becoming a grandparent). Consistent with the literature [64][65][66][67][68][69][70][71][72][73][74][75][76][77][78], mothers tended to appear less frightened than fathers, and both parents were reported to have concerns related to a lack of knowledge on how to act: "They [mother and father] usually disagree on everything. Mothers tend to blame themselves, judging themselves as having been too cold or too suffocating .…”

“…Within this context, the work of clinicians in the specialized centers has remained understudied. While previous Italian qualitative studies have investigated the experiences of trans * individuals [61,62], their families [63], and clinicians working outside of specialized services [64], to the best of our knowledge, the present study was the first to investigate the perspectives of clinicians and volunteers within specialized centers and associations for trans * youths, with respect to agency functioning and shortcomings.…”

Study protocol: navigating access to gender care in Ireland—a mixed-method study on the experiences of transgender and non-binary youth

“…Some of these may be particularly pertinent to younger people. In addition, the acceptance of family members and the knowledge of healthcare providers are crucial in young people’s healthcare navigation 11 12…”

Defensive Functioning of Individuals Diagnosed With Gender Dysphoria at the Beginning of Their Hormonal Treatment

“…Indeed, research (Vocks et al, 2009;Couturier et al, 2015;Witcomb et al, 2015;Becker et al, 2016;Jones et al, 2016;Mirabella et al, 2020) has reported that BD in individuals with GD extends beyond non-sexual body parts and, therefore, represents a significant source of suffering. Moreover, many studies have noted that the distress associated with BD may be increased in transgender people, due to discrimination and stigma in their life contexts (e.g., Clements-Nolle et al, 2006;Ristori and Steensma, 2016;Giovanardi et al, 2018Giovanardi et al, , 2020aFortunato et al, 2020).…”