Open AccessPerspectives of Transgender Youth on Parental Support: Qualitative Findings From the Resilience and Transgender Youth Study
Author(s) -
Jack Andrzejewski,
Sanjana Pampati,
Riley J. Steiner,
Lorin Boyce,
Michelle M. Johns
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
health education and behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 1552-6127
pISSN - 1090-1981
DOI - 10.1177/1090198120965504
Subject(s) - transgender , psychology , thematic analysis , psychological resilience , sexual orientation , social support , population , developmental psychology , mental health , minority stress , qualitative research , sexual minority , clinical psychology , social psychology , medicine , psychiatry , sociology , social science , environmental health , psychoanalysis
Transgender youth are more likely than cisgender youth to report health risks related to violence victimization, substance use, mental health, and sexual health. Parental support may help foster resilience and better health outcomes among this population. However, limited research has characterized parental support among transgender youth. To address this gap, we conducted a thematic analysis of 33 in-depth interviews with transgender youth. We coded interviews using the dimensions of the social support framework (i.e., emotional, instrumental, appraisal, and informational) as well as inductive codes to identify emergent themes. Almost all participants described some form of general parental support (e.g., expressions of love, housing, advice, and affirmation). Parental support specific to gender identity was also noted (e.g., emotional support for coming out as transgender and chosen name and pronoun use) but was more limited. Parents may benefit from resources and programming to promote acceptance and gender-affirming behaviors.