Dynamics of Primary Social Networks to Support Mothers, Fathers, or Guardians of Transgender Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review

Parental Identity and Lived Experiences when Parenting a LGBTQIA+2 Child: A Critical Narrative Synthesis of Current Evidence

PURPOSE

Most LGBTQIA + 2 studies focus on the core sexually and gender diverse population without exploring the peripheral familial perspectives. Current research needs to explore parental experiences of parenting a LGBTQIA+2 child, since parents undergo an identity change after their child's disclosure. This parental identity change may affect parental well-being and add to the existing stress of parenting a LGBTQIA + 2 child.

METHODS

This paper uses the identity process theory (IPT) to review 18 studies on parental narratives to highlight the change in parental identity. Databases were searched for first-hand parenting experiences and shortlisted articles were qualitatively synthesized.

FINDINGS

We identified six main themes: I) Parental identity change is triggered by a child's disclosure. II) Parental identity change drives parental emotions that evolve from initial anger, shock, fear, concern, grief, etc. to eventual acceptance of their child. III) Parental identity and emotions change, as for any life change process, across assimilation, accommodation, adjustment, and evaluation phases of the IPT. IV) Parental identity change is motivated by continuity, coherence, self-efficacy, belongingness, distinctiveness, meaning and self-esteem principles of the IPT. V) Parental identity influences parental micro-individual, meso-interactional and macro-societal interactions of the IPT framework. VI) Parental mental well-being may be affected across the assimilation, accommodation, adjustment phases of the IPT before eventual acceptance of the child in the evaluation phase.

CONCLUSIONS

Parental lived experiences require a stronger consideration today within the wider, non-white, contexts. The effect of identity change on parental mental well-being and its intergenerational effect needs to be explored within the context of the IPT. Parental narratives will contribute towards creating appropriate counselling toolkits and interventions for health care providers and parents of LGBTQIA + 2 children.

Mothers' and fathers' neural responses toward gender-stereotype violations by their own children

Gender stereotypes facilitate people's processing of social information by providing assumptions about expected behaviors and preferences. When gendered expectations are violated, people often respond negatively, both on a behavioral and neural level. Little is known about the impact of family kinship on the behavioral and neural reactions to gender-stereotype violations. Therefore, we examined whether parents show different responses when gender stereotypes are violated by their own children vs unknown children. The sample comprised 74 Dutch families with a father (Mage = 37.54), mother (Mage = 35.83), son, and daughter aged 3-6 years. Electroencephalography measurements were obtained while parents viewed pictures of their own and unknown children paired with toy or problem behavior words that violated or confirmed gender stereotypes. In half of the trials, parents evaluated the appropriateness of toy-gender and behavior-gender combinations. Parents showed stronger late positive potential amplitudes toward gender stereotype-violating behaviors by own children compared to unknown children. Moreover, parents' P1 responses toward gender stereotype-violating child behaviors were stronger for boys than for girls and for parents who evaluated gender-stereotype violations as less appropriate than gender-stereotype confirmations. These findings indicated that gender-stereotype violations by parents' own children are particularly salient and viewed as less appropriate than gender-stereotype confirmations.

Integral health care for transgender adolescents: subsidies for nursing practice

OBJECTIVE

to analyze the integral health care for transgender adolescents from the perspective of their guardians.

METHOD

qualitative research based on the Social Network framework proposed by Lia Sanicola, developed with 22 guardians of transgender adolescents in Brazil through semi-structured individual online interviews. The empirical material was analyzed using the content analysis technique, thematic modality.

RESULTS

lack of ambience was observed, in addition to technical unpreparedness of health professionals in relation to the theme at all levels of care, transphobia, centralization of care in scarce qualified services for transgender children and youth, absence of family support, lack of health promotion actions within the community, especially in the school environment, and the common support from non-governmental initiatives.

CONCLUSION

the centralization of actions in scarce specialized services in the country, and the structural transphobia can compromise the integral health care for transgender adolescents. There is an urgent need for a network of care capable of assisting the joint action by multi and interdisciplinary teams, with greater proactivity of the nurse with the transgender adolescent and their guardians in individual and collective actions; ambience; health promotion in schools for visibility and support in Primary Health Care since childhood.

HIGHLIGHTS

(1) Need for a network of care concerning integral health care for transgender adolescents.(2) Centralization and scarce qualified services for transgender children and youth.(3) Invisible families, lack of health promotion within the community.(4) Unpreparedness of health professionals and disarticulation of the health care network.(5) Need for qualification of nurses when caring for transgender people.

Support for Mothers, Fathers, or Guardians of Transgender Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review on the Dynamics of Secondary Social Networks

Mothers', fathers', or guardians' support for disclosures of diverse gender identity has significant relationships with decreased suicidality for transgender children and adolescents. They play an essential role in facing transphobia, protecting trans children, and strengthening the expression of their identity. These guardians need structural, emotional, and informative support; they need to be prepared to recognize and manage of their own feelings, as well as deal with the challenges that come with new social contexts of transphobia in schools, health institutions, and other community spaces. This study aimed to analyze the scientific evidence on the dynamics of secondary social networks to support mothers, fathers, or guardians of transgender children and adolescents. This is a systematic review of qualitative studies, guided by PRISMA guidelines. Controlled and free vocabularies were used to survey the primary studies in the following databases: EMBASE; Scopus; MEDLINE; Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL); PsycInfo; Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences (LILACS); and Web of Science. A total of 28 articles made up the final sample of this review. Secondary social networks were described as fragile, characterized by conflicting and broken ties with healthcare services and professionals, isolation and unpreparedness from schools, and emotional and informational support from peer groups and some qualified healthcare professionals. The literature shows the potential of the dynamics of secondary social support networks; however, it presented the unpreparedness of professionals and institutional policies for welcoming transgender children and adolescents and their families, with the peer group being the main emotional and informative support network.

Atención integral a la salud de los adolescentes transgénero: subsidios para la práctica de la Enfermería

Resumen Objetivo: analizar la atención integral a la salud de los adolescentes transgénero desde la perspectiva de sus responsables. Método: estudio cualitativo basado en el marco de la Red Social propuesto por Lia Sanicola, desarrollado con 22 responsables de adolescentes transgénero en Brasil a partir de entrevistas en línea individuales semiestructuradas. El material empírico fue analizado mediante la técnica de análisis de contenido, modalidad temática. Resultados: se ha evidenciado la falta de ambiente y preparación técnica de los profesionales de la salud con relación al tema en todos los niveles de atención, transfobia, centralización del cuidado en los pocos servicios habilitados para personas trans en el período infantojuvenil, invisibilidad del apoyo a la familia, ausencia de acciones de promoción de la salud en el ámbito comunitario, especialmente en la escuela, y la acogida comúnmente por las iniciativas no gubernamentales. Conclusión: la centralización de acciones en los pocos servicios especializados del país y la transfobia estructural pueden comprometer la atención integral en salud de los adolescentes trans. Urge una línea de cuidado capaz de auxiliar la acción conjunta de un equipo multi e interdisciplinario, con mayor proactividad del enfermero con el adolescente transgénero y sus responsables en acciones individuales y colectivas; ambiente; promoción de la salud en las escuelas para la visibilidad y acogida en la Atención Primaria de la Salud desde la infancia.

Atenção integral à saúde dos adolescentes transgêneros: subsídios para a prática da Enfermagem

Resumo Objetivo: analisar a atenção integral à saúde dos adolescentes transgêneros na perspectiva dos seus responsáveis. Método: estudo qualitativo fundamentado no referencial Rede Social proposto por Lia Sanicola, desenvolvido com 22 responsáveis por adolescentes transgêneros no Brasil por meio de entrevistas online individuais semiestruturadas. O material empírico foi analisado com a utilização da técnica de análise de conteúdo na modalidade temática. Resultados: Foram evidenciados a falta de ambiência e despreparo técnico de profissionais da saúde em relação à temática em todos os níveis de atenção, transfobia, centralização do cuidado em escassos serviços habilitados para pessoas trans no período infantojuvenil, invisibilidade do apoio à família, ausência de ações de promoção da saúde no âmbito comunitário, sobretudo, escolar, e, ainda, o acolhimento promovido, comumente, pelas iniciativas não governamentais. Conclusão: a centralização de ações em escassos serviços especializados no país e a transfobia estrutural podem comprometer a atenção integral à saúde dos adolescentes trans. Urge a necessidade de uma linha de cuidado capaz de auxiliar a atuação conjunta por equipe multi e interdisciplinar com maior proatividade do enfermeiro junto ao adolescente trans e seus responsáveis por meio de ações individuais e coletivas; ambiência; promoção da saúde nas escolas para visibilidade e acolhimento na Atenção Primária à Saúde desde a infância.