Parents’ Journeys to Acceptance and Support of Gender-diverse and Trans Children and Youth

Abstract

<jats:p> Over the past 5 years in Canada, clinicians have observed an increasing number of gender-diverse and trans children and youth (GDTCY) accessing clinics for gender-affirming care. GDTCY who are able to access care are usually accompanied by their families, which provides a unique opportunity to integrate them into the treatment team. GDTCY have better health and social outcomes when strongly supported by their parents/caregivers. To optimize young people’s health and well-being, it is essential that we learn more about family experiences in supporting their GDTCY and in overcoming barriers to accessing services. This project is one of the first qualitative studies that aims to develop a deeper understanding of GDTCY and their parents/caregivers’ experiences of the gender-affirming care setting. This paper explores their journeys in coming to terms with their child’s gender identity, including reactions to the child’s coming out, struggles and facilitators of acceptance, and experiences in clinical settings. </jats:p>

Therapy Experiences of Transgender and Gender Diverse Adolescents and Their Caregivers

“…These findings are consistent with broader youth therapy research demonstrating the value of active caregiver engagement (e.g., Haine-Schlagel et al, 2012;Martinez et al, 2017) and its association with stronger treatment outcomes (Dowell & Ogles, 2010). Our results also mirror findings from studies of genderaffirming medical care, indicating that caregivers of TGD adolescents appreciate when clinicians provide TGD-specific knowledge (Schimmel-Bristow et al, 2018) and act in supportive and nonjudgmental ways without pressuring caregivers to make decisions (Pullen Sansfaçon et al, 2020). Indeed, existing clinical guidelines (e.g., Rafferty, 2018) suggest that caregiver engagement is facilitated by therapists using a gradual and supportive approach while providing TGD-specific psychoeducation and advice on gender-affirming parenting practices.…”

Blossoming Child, Mourning Parent: A Qualitative Study of Trans Children and Their Parents Navigating Transition

“…However, while parental support is key, parents may encounter many challenges in adapting to the new reality and the adaptation process is often long (Pullen Sansfaçon et al, 2020b). Parents can experience grief and a sense of loss (Pullen Sansfaçon et al, 2020b;Aramburu Alegria, 2018;Coolhart et al, 2018;Wahlig, 2015) denial, disbelief, or anger (Pullen Sansfaçon et al, 2020b;Aramburu Alegria, 2018;Wahlig, 2015).…”

“…However, while parental support is key, parents may encounter many challenges in adapting to the new reality and the adaptation process is often long (Pullen Sansfaçon et al, 2020b). Parents can experience grief and a sense of loss (Pullen Sansfaçon et al, 2020b;Aramburu Alegria, 2018;Coolhart et al, 2018;Wahlig, 2015) denial, disbelief, or anger (Pullen Sansfaçon et al, 2020b;Aramburu Alegria, 2018;Wahlig, 2015). Parents are often concerned about the safety and acceptance of their child by others (Pullen Sansfaçon et al, 2015;Pullen Sansfaçon et al, 2020b;Aramburu Alegria, 2018;Lawlis et al, 2017;Wahlig, 2015) and they may feel powerless (Pullen Sansfaçon et al, 2015), socially judged or isolated (Pullen Sansfaçon et al, 2015;Wahlig, 2015).…”

“…Parents can experience grief and a sense of loss (Pullen Sansfaçon et al, 2020b;Aramburu Alegria, 2018;Coolhart et al, 2018;Wahlig, 2015) denial, disbelief, or anger (Pullen Sansfaçon et al, 2020b;Aramburu Alegria, 2018;Wahlig, 2015). Parents are often concerned about the safety and acceptance of their child by others (Pullen Sansfaçon et al, 2015;Pullen Sansfaçon et al, 2020b;Aramburu Alegria, 2018;Lawlis et al, 2017;Wahlig, 2015) and they may feel powerless (Pullen Sansfaçon et al, 2015), socially judged or isolated (Pullen Sansfaçon et al, 2015;Wahlig, 2015). Certain parents recount experiencing feelings of guilt looking back because they were unable to properly acknowledge and support their child early on (Aramburu Alegria, 2018).…”

“…Certain parents recount experiencing feelings of guilt looking back because they were unable to properly acknowledge and support their child early on (Aramburu Alegria, 2018). Some parents may also question whether the gender identity declared by their child is real, and wonder if it could be sudden and the result of peer influence (Littman, 2018) Several elements have been shown to help parents overcome these challenges and move toward acceptance: becoming educated about trans issues (Pullen Sansfaçon et al, 2020b;Wong & Drake, 2017), knowing they can protect their child from the negative repercussions of discrimination and help promote their child's happiness (Coolhart et al, 2018), and being proactive in the child's transition by accompanying them or advocating for them (Birnkrant & Przeworski, 2017;Aramburu Alegria, 2018). Having professional and peer support has also been shown to be very helpful in this acceptance journey (Pullen Sansfaçon et al, 2015;Pullen Sansfaçon et al, 2020b;Aramburu Alegria, 2018).…”