Parental reactions to transgender and gender diverse children: A literature review

Abreu, Roberto L.; Rosenkrantz, Dani E.; Ryser-Oatman, Jonathan T.; Rostosky, Sharon S.; Riggle, Ellen D. B.

doi:10.1080/1550428x.2019.1656132

Cited by 81 publications

(61 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…Many respondents emphasized the importance of working with families, who typically presented severe anxiety regarding the gender incongruence of the child or adolescent. As the literature reports, trans * youths often lack support from parents and peers [ 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 ]. In fact, several studies have shown correlations between family rejection and negative health outcomes, including depression, suicidality, and drug and alcohol use [ 76 , 77 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Usually, despite an initial refusal, families became very supportive of the child’s developing path after only a few months of family psychotherapy or parents’ groups. This is very important, since, in this population, positive parental attitudes and positive relationships with the family are associated with higher self-esteem and fewer suicide attempts [ 38 , 79 , 80 ]: “ I have to say that parents who do not accept their child’s gender identity are becoming very rare. In many cases, it just takes a bit of time for the family to face their fears and learn to accept and support their children completely.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Giovanardi

Fortunato

Mirabella

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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In recent years, Italy, similar to many other countries, has witnessed an increase in children and adolescents presenting gender incongruence. This trend has led to the development and implementation of specialized centers providing care and support for these youths and their families. The present study aimed at investigating the functioning of agencies specialized in working with transgender and gender non-conforming youths in the Italian territory. Professionals in these agencies were interviewed about their perspectives on their agency’s functioning, networks with other services, and work with trans* youths and their families. A semi-structured interview was developed and administered to professionals in specialized centers and associations dedicated to trans * youths, and deductive thematic analysis was applied to the transcripts. Eight professionals were interviewed: six working in specialized centers and two working in associations. The qualitative analyses of transcripts revealed four main themes, pertaining to service referrals, assessment protocols and intervention models, psychological support for youths and families, and agency shortcomings. The study explored the functioning of Italian agencies specialized in caring for transgender and gender non-conforming youths, from the perspective of professionals working in these agencies. While several positive aspects of the work emerged, the study highlighted a lack of uniformity across the Italian territory and the need for better networks between agencies and other medical professionals.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Giovanardi

Fortunato

Mirabella

et al. 2020

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…While many parents are supportive and affi rming of their TGD youth ' s gender identities, some parents may fi nd it diffi cult to accept their child ' s gender identity because of a variety of factors. 51 Current best practices when working with families of TGD youth struggling to accept gender identity include family education to promote understanding and affi rmation of gender identity. 52 Although parental acceptance of gender identity is often vital to the health and well-being of TGD youth, 34,36,[53][54][55] acceptance is not always a rapid, smooth process.…”

Section: Implications For Future Research and Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

Parents Matter: Associations Between Parent Connectedness and Sexual Health Indicators Among Transgender and Gender‐Diverse Adolescents

Brown

Eisenberg

McMorris³

2020

Perspect Sexual Reproductive

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Transgender and gender-diverse youth experience signifi cant health disparities across numerous domains of health, including sexual health. Among general populations, parent connectedness has been strongly associated with youth sexual health. METHODS : The relationships between parent connectedness and sexual health indicators were investigated among 2,168 transgender and gender-diverse youth who participated in the 2016 Minnesota Student Survey, a statewide population-based survey of ninth-and 11th-grade students. Multivariate logistic regression models, stratifi ed by sex assigned at birth, tested associations between parent connectedness-youth ' s perceptions of parent caring and parent-youth communication-and eight sexual health indicators: ever having had sex, having multiple sexual partners in the past year, pregnancy involvement, substance use at last sex, partner communication about STI prevention, partner communication about pregnancy prevention, condom use at last sex and pregnancy prevention methods at last sex. RESULTS : The level of parent connectedness was inversely associated with ever having had sex, regardless of sex assigned at birth (odds ratios, 0.6-0.8). Although level of connectedness was inversely associated with having multiple sexual partners in the past year and pregnancy involvement among transgender and gender-diverse youth assigned male at birth (0.6-0.7), these relationships were nonsignifi cant among transgender and gender-diverse youth assigned female at birth. Further diff erences in associations between parent connectedness and four sexual risk-reduction behaviors were found between youth assigned male at birth and those assigned female. CONCLUSIONS : As with other populations, parent connectedness promotes sexual health among transgender and gender-diverse youth and may provide a point of intervention.

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“…They often worry about the future and health of their child, including possible medical interventions. In any case, parents play a crucial role in mitigating the risks related to social stigmatisation by supporting their offspring during their development in different contexts, both at home and in school (Abreu et al, 2019). Gregor et al (2015) concluded that parenting a gender diverse child may involve making complex, life-changing decisions, which can result in diverse and fluctuating behaviours and emotions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A psychological support group for parents in the care of families with gender diverse children and adolescents

Caldarera¹,

Davidson

Vitiello³

et al. 2020

Clin Child Psychol Psychiatry

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Parenting gender diverse children and adolescents can be a challenging experience, entailing doubts about how to protect and support them during their development. Parental reactions impact on the child’s sense of security and well-being. Therefore, when caring for families with gender diverse children, it is important to offer support to parents. In this article we present an experience with a 12-month support group for parents of young people who attended the service for gender identity development at a paediatric hospital. We describe the group structure and methodology, together with the process for evaluating the intervention. At 6-month intervals, parents were asked to indicate the most important topics that had emerged during the monthly sessions. At 12 months, they completed a semi-structured feedback questionnaire about their experience in the group, including possible difficulties encountered. Thematic analysis showed an evolution in time, with participants taking a more complex perspective on gender diversity and the needs of their children, while feeling more able to deal with the uncertainties related to gender identity development. After attending the group, parents reported feeling less lonely, more confident, and better able to communicate with their children. They related these positive changes to the opportunity of sharing experiences and mutual learning. This feed-back provides preliminary evidence that the psychological support group was perceived to be a useful resource by parents of gender diverse young people.

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Parental reactions to transgender and gender diverse children: A literature review

Cited by 81 publications

References 64 publications

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

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

Parents Matter: Associations Between Parent Connectedness and Sexual Health Indicators Among Transgender and Gender‐Diverse Adolescents

A psychological support group for parents in the care of families with gender diverse children and adolescents

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