Trans Young Adults' Reflections on Adolescent Sources of Extra-Familial Support (original) (raw)
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Journal of GLBT Family Studies, 2019
Transgender youth have been found to experience mental health disparities, experiencing greater rates of depression and anxiety than their cisgender counterparts. This mixed-methods study examined social support and how it is related to well-being and resilience among transgender youth. A sample of 154 transgender and gender nonbinary youth (13 to 21 years) completed a survey at a Pride event in a Midwest US city. The survey assessed living as one's affirmed gender, social support, finding meaning in life, quality of life, mental health, and resilience. A focus group (n ¼ 8) discussed their experiences of support. Ninety-two percent reported being assigned female at birth; 27% identified as transmasculine, 38% genderqueer, and 24% more than one gender. Family support was positively associated with the likelihood of living as one's affirmed gender. Support from friends and significant others were not significant indicators of living as one's affirmed gender. Participants with greater family support were less likely to report that they had a mental health problem in the past year. Friend support was positively associated with connectedness and finding meaning in life. Qualitative analyses identified how transgender youth define and experience support in their lives. Future studies should examine the use of family counseling and building communication skills for transgender youth health and resilience interventions.
“How in God’s Name Are We Going to Navigate This?”: Parent Support for Transgender Adolescents
Journal of Child and Family Studies
The extant literature has clearly demonstrated that transgender and nonbinary adolescents (TNBA) face extreme stress related to navigating gender identity and expression across various social environments. Additionally, parents are perhaps the most critical aspect of support for TNBA, and research has repeatedly identified the benefits of parent support for adolescent mental health. However, few studies underscore how TNBA and parents within the same family perceive parent support after adolescents disclose that they are transgender or nonbinary. The present qualitative study uses a life history calendar (LHC) interview approach with 20 TNBA-parent dyads (40 individual interviews) to explore TNBA-parent perceptions of parent support and adjustment related to TNBA gender identity and affirmation. Findings yielded three main points regarding parental support for TNBA. First, the time between disclosure to a parent and puberty mattered for parental support and adjustment processes. Sec...
Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services, 2020
Transgender youth experience a variety of risk and resilience factors that impact their wellbeing. However, the research on these factors rarely includes the personal perspectives or authority of transgender youth. To address this gap, we collaborated with a transgender youth advisory board to conduct qualitative interviews with 19 transgender youth (15-22 yearsold). Participants lived in two Midwestern states to provide the perspective of transgender youth often missed by research. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis and resulted in three categories of advice: challenges are real, have pride, and you are not alone. Participants acknowledged that challenges are a salient aspect of growing up as a person who is transgender but provided advice for their peers to persevere, feel proud of their identities, and support development and wellbeing through connections to others. Findings provide important implications for practitioners working with transgender youth and researchers aiming to promote resilience and reduce risk. Additionally, providing opportunities for transgender youth to participate in research as the experts and share their perspectives may also help promote resilience.
Social Support and Internalizing Psychopathology in Transgender Youth
Journal of youth and adolescence, 2021
Although increasing numbers of children have socially transitioned to live in line with their gender identities, little is known about factors associated with their wellbeing. This study examines the associations between parent-reported family, peer, and school support for a youth's gender identity, as well as an objective measure of state-level support, with parent-reported internalizing symptoms in 265 transgender youth (67.2% transgender girls, 32.8% transgender boys), ages 3-15 years (M = 9.41, SD = 2.62). Parents who reported higher levels of family, peer, and school support for their child's gender identity also reported fewer internalizing symptoms; the objective measure of state-level support was not related to internalizing symptoms. Additionally, peer and school support buffered against the association between gender-related victimization and internalizing symptoms, as reported by parents. This work demonstrates that even among transgender youth with families who supported their transitions, parents see better well-being in their children when they also see more support for the child's gender identity from family, peers, and schools.
Communication, advocacy, and acceptance among support-seeking parents of transgender youth
Journal of Gay & Lesbian Mental Health, 2017
Others" reactions to transgender youth have been identified as an important area of study. In the current study support-seeking parents of transgender youth already connected with services (e.g. support groups or specialty clinics) completed questions about disclosure of the child"s gender identity to the parent, extended family, and school personnel and ongoing parentchild communication about the child"s gender identity. Results indicated that most children disclosed their gender identity to parents in a face-to-face conversation, often in a gradual process. Parental acceptance of the child"s gender identity was common, as was parental advocacy in this sample. Acceptance by school personnel and extended family increased over time but continued to be infrequent. Results indicate that although transgender youth of supportseeking parents may be accepted at home, youth may still face discrimination and hardship in other settings.
Evaluating transgender youth and parent interest and preferences regarding support groups
Global Pediatric Health, 2020
The purpose of this cross-sectional survey study is to explore transgender teens’ and their parents’ interest in and preferences regarding support groups in an effort to optimally serve the entire family’s needs. The aims of the study were to: (1) describe transgender teens interest level and preferences regarding support groups; (2) describe parents of transgender teens interest level and preferences regarding support groups; and (3) compare responses based on demographics including teens versus parent, natal sex, and gender identity. De-identified surveys were collected from a convenience sample of transgender patients (N = 26), ages 13-18 years, and their parents (N = 20). Overall level of interest in support groups was 7.20/10 for youth and 7.95/10 for parents where 0 is not interested and 10 is very interested. Both groups endorsed benefits of a support group, including help with managing school issues, learning about local resources for transgender teens, and providing peer su...
Family Matters: Gender Affirmation and the Mental Health of Transgender Youth
SSRN Working Paper, 2023
This paper examines the relationship between social transitions, mental health, and family support among transgender youth using data from the United States Transgender Survey. We use retrospective panel data to compare changes in mental health among transgender youth who initiate social transitions compared to those who initiate social transitions a year later. We find that social transitions are associated with a higher risk of suicide attempt and running away from home among transgender youth who live in unsupportive families, whereas supportive family environments mitigate, and in some cases, virtually eliminate these risks. Some of these disparities can be attributed to higher incidences of exposure to gender identity change efforts and limited access to hormone therapy in unsupportive family environments, as compared to supportive ones. These results demonstrate the importance of family support for the mental health of transgender youth at key life stages, and that family support increases access to affirming health care.
International Journal of Transgenderism, 2017
Background-A growing body of research has examined transgender identity development, but no studies have investigated developmental pathways as a transactional process between youth and caregivers, incorporating perspectives from multiple family members. The aim of this study was to conceptualize pathways of transgender identity development using narratives from both transgender and gender nonconforming (TGN) youth and their cisgender (non-transgender) caregivers. Methods-The sample included 16 families, with 16 TGN youth, ages 7-18 years, and 29 cisgender caregivers (N = 45 family members). TGN youth represented multiple gender identities, including trans boy (n = 9), trans girl (n = 5), gender fluid boy (n = 1), and girlish boy (n = 1). Caregivers included mothers (n = 17), fathers (n = 11), and one grandmother. Participants were
International Journal of Transgenderism
Background: Given the broader social contexts in which transgender people and their families live, the latter can be either an important source of support, or bring with them yet another source of discrimination. Whilst historically transgender people almost uniformly experienced discrimination from families of origin, recent research suggests that growing numbers of transgender people are supported by their families. Aims: The study reported in this paper sought to examine the relationships between family support and discrimination, and psychological distress and resilience. Methods: A convenience sample of 345 transgender people living in North America completed an online questionnaire constructed by the authors. The questionnaire included demographic questions and single items questions about emotional closeness to family, gender-related support from family, and discrimination from family. The questionnaire also included standardized measures of gender-related discrimination, resiliency, social support, and psychological distress. Results: Participants reported moderate levels of gender-related family support, with non- binary participants reporting the lowest levels of gender-related family support. Participants whose families provided greater gender-related support reported greater resilience and lower levels of psychological distress, however participants who reported higher levels of gender- related discrimination from their families reported greater psychological distress. The findings suggest that emotional closeness to family may help mitigate the effects of general discrimination on psychological distress. Discussion: Drawing on the findings reported, the paper concludes by discussing the importance of focusing on family members in the context of affirming clinical approaches to working with transgender adults.