Families in Transition: The Lived Experience of Parenting a Transgender Child

Research exploring the parents’ experience of their child undergoing gender transition is almost nonexistent. However, as the number of individuals who identify as transgender increases, gender identity will continue to evolve; therefore, supporting families of these individuals is paramount. Parent...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of family nursing 2020-11, Vol.26 (4), p.337-345
Main Authors: Wagner, Linda D., Armstrong, Elizabeth
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Children
Cultural sensitivity
Gender identity
Nursing
Parent-child relations
Parents & parenting
Transgender persons
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Research exploring the parents’ experience of their child undergoing gender transition is almost nonexistent. However, as the number of individuals who identify as transgender increases, gender identity will continue to evolve; therefore, supporting families of these individuals is paramount. Parents of transgender children were interviewed and yielded five themes: (a) It Rocks Your World; (b) Dancing Around in a Way that Doesn’t Distance; (c) Your Child Is Still Your Child; (d) Worrying About the Future; and (e) Transformational: Finally an Answer. These themes begin to identify the complex nature and struggles parents face as they encounter the emotional and physical aspects of their child’s gender transition. The findings raise awareness of the parents’ perspective, provide a better understanding of the complex family issues that occur, and provide nursing suggestions on how to continue to work to facilitate “healthy families” and promote cultural sensitivity.
ISSN:1074-8407
1552-549X
DOI:10.1177/1074840720945340