Transactional pathways of transgender identity development in transgender and gender-nonconforming youth and caregiver perspectives from the Trans Youth Family Study

ABSTRACT

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 (nontransgender) caregivers.

Methods: The sample included 16 families, with 16 TGN youth, ages 7 to 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 recruited from LGBTQ community organizations and support networks for families with transgender youth in the Midwest, Northeast, and South regions of the United States. Each family member completed a one-time, in-person semistructured qualitative interview that included questions about transgender identity development.

Results: Analyses revealed seven overarching themes of transgender identity development, which were organized into a conceptual model: Trans identity development, sociocultural influences/societal discourse, biological influences, family adjustment/impact, stigma/cisnormativity, support/resources, and gender affirmation/actualization.

Conclusions: Findings underscore the importance of assessing developmental processes among TGN youth as transactional, impacting both youth and their caregivers.

KEYWORDS:

• Family dynamics
• gender identity
• identity development
• parent-child relationships
• transgender youth

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the following individuals for contributing their time to this research as consultants, interviewers, and coders: S. Bryn Austin, Kate McLaughlin, Katharine Thomson, Danielle Alexander, Sebastian Barr, Yasmeen Chism, Jacob Eleazer, Clare Gervasi, Ariel Glantz, Dylan Hiner, Cheré Hunter, Brett Nava-Coulter, Jackson Painter, Patrick Sherwood, and Jayden Thai. We would also like to thank the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) Working Group at Boston Children's Hospital and the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health and the Trans* Lab at the University of Louisville for their invaluable feedback. Finally, we would especially like to thank the youth and families who shared their stories with us.

Funding

Dr. Katz-Wise was funded by a grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health (K99HD082340).