Transgender Parents: Negotiating "Coming Out" and Gender Affirmation with Children and Co-Parents

This study investigated how transgender parents negotiate "coming out" and pursuit of gender affirmation (GA) with their children and co-parents. Sixty-six open-ended survey responses and 38 one-on-one interviews conducted with Australian trans parents, aged 24-67 years, were analyzed using thematic analysis. The main themes were: (i) Anticipating their Response: "Coming Out" to co-parents and children; (ii) "Having that talk"-Negotiating disclosure of trans identity with co-parents and children; and (iii) Negotiating Gender Affirmation alongside Parenting. "Coming out" was experienced as both vital and a point of vulnerability, with GA necessitating communication and negotiation alongside parenting. Many participants reported significant anxiety before "coming out" to co-parents and children. Children's age was an influential factor in reaction to changes in parental gender identity, with younger and adult children reportedly being the most receptive. Results are discussed in terms of the reported benefits of pursuing GA for trans parents.

Evaluation of the psychological status of mothers of children with cystic fibrosis and the relationship between children's clinical status

AIM

In this study, we aimed to determine the psychosocial status of primary care givers of children with cystic fibrosis (CF) and its relationship with the clinical scores of children with CF.

METHODS

Thirty-six patients with CF and their primary care givers were assessed. A personal information form, as well as the Parent Attitude Research Instrument, Maslach Burnout Inventory, Beck Depression Scale and modified Shwachman-Kulczycki Score, were used for data collection.

RESULTS

All the CF children's primary care givers were their mothers. The mothers' occupation and educational level affected their child-rearing attitudes (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the frequency of hospital visits and hospitalizations was associated with increased emotional exhaustion, depression and negative attitudes towards child-rearing (P < 0.05). Higher levels of emotional exhaustion in mothers were associated with increased depersonalization and depression, while personal accomplishment was associated with lower levels of depression (P < 0.05). Depression was present in 69.4% of mothers, and its severity was correlated with their children having a poor clinical status. Moreover, increased depression was associated with increased negative attitudes towards child-rearing (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The rate of depression is high in mothers of children with CF. These mothers displayed a negative attitude towards child-rearing, along with the disease, which was more severe in their children. These mothers should undergo routine psychosocial screening, and support should be given to those in need.

Understanding the social interaction difficulties of women with unipolar depression

Poor social functioning is a prevalent complaint of unipolar depression, but subjective experiences of social interactions have not been systematically studied. A limited number of qualitative researchers have specifically addressed the social difficulties in depression. We conducted in-depth semistructured interviews with 11 depressed women. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the transcripts. Five themes emerged. The first two, diminished desire to socially interact and fear of social interactions, encompass perceptions that have not been previously reported. The third theme, the pressure to adhere to social norms, provided support for previous findings. The final two themes, the perceptions of others and isolation, elaborated on existing knowledge. We found that difficulties with social engagements are much broader than previously reported, with a lack of interest in others, being too emotionally overloaded to interact, perceptions that other people will not understand how women with depression are feeling, and fears of being a burden all contributing to the difficulties experienced in depression.

Narratives of Depression

The purpose of this study was to explore the life narratives of a group of self-identified depressed individuals. A qualitative research approach, specifically a multiple case study method was used, consisting of interviews in narrative format with people who were suffering from depression. The common themes seemed to be: the participants attached negative meanings to their life experiences; they used negative language, particularly in the form of generalisations, to articulate their stories; and they found socio-political narratives to be subjugating. The study suggested that a narrative approach to therapy could be fruitful in the treatment of depression, especially through helping people to find positive meanings for life experiences; re-authoring life narratives using fewer negative generalisations; confronting and transcending subjugating political stories; assisting the individual to discover and build upon unique outcomes; and encouraging the extemalisation of depression.