TY - JOUR
T1 - ‘If they didn’t support me, I most likely wouldn’t be here’
T2 - Transgender young people and their parents negotiating medical treatment in Australia
AU - Riggs, Damien W.
AU - Bartholomaeus, Clare
AU - Sansfaçon, Annie Pullen
PY - 2020/1
Y1 - 2020/1
N2 - Background: It is increasingly recognized that transgender young people require affirming medical care, however the provision of such care may be mitigated by the availability of services and the views of parents. Aims: This study aimed to explore the views of Australian transgender young people (aged 11–17) and their parents with regards to medical treatment. Methods: Ten qualitative interviews were conducted with parent-child dyads in two Australian states. Thematic analysis was undertaken on responses to interview questions related to family relationships, views about medical treatment (specifically hormone blockers and hormones), and the relationship between medical treatment and sense of self. Results: Themes developed focused on the importance of strong supportive parent-child relationships, the meaning of and access to hormone blockers, and the meaning of and access to hormones. Discussion: The paper concludes by discussing the implications of the findings for clinical services, particularly in relation to supporting parents to be affirming of a transgender child, the need to prepare transgender young people and their parents for the passage of time in regards to medical treatment, and the need to focus on expectations in regards to sense of self in relation to medical treatment.
AB - Background: It is increasingly recognized that transgender young people require affirming medical care, however the provision of such care may be mitigated by the availability of services and the views of parents. Aims: This study aimed to explore the views of Australian transgender young people (aged 11–17) and their parents with regards to medical treatment. Methods: Ten qualitative interviews were conducted with parent-child dyads in two Australian states. Thematic analysis was undertaken on responses to interview questions related to family relationships, views about medical treatment (specifically hormone blockers and hormones), and the relationship between medical treatment and sense of self. Results: Themes developed focused on the importance of strong supportive parent-child relationships, the meaning of and access to hormone blockers, and the meaning of and access to hormones. Discussion: The paper concludes by discussing the implications of the findings for clinical services, particularly in relation to supporting parents to be affirming of a transgender child, the need to prepare transgender young people and their parents for the passage of time in regards to medical treatment, and the need to focus on expectations in regards to sense of self in relation to medical treatment.
KW - clinical care
KW - medical treatment
KW - parent-child relationships
KW - qualitative study
KW - transgender
KW - youth
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85075249093&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://purl.org/au-research/grants/ARC/FT130100087
U2 - 10.1080/15532739.2019.1692751
DO - 10.1080/15532739.2019.1692751
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85075249093
SN - 1553-2739
VL - 21
SP - 3
EP - 15
JO - International Journal of Transgenderism
JF - International Journal of Transgenderism
IS - 1
ER -