Parental perceptions of emotional and behavioral difficulties among prepubertal gender-nonconforming children.

Diane Chen*, Marco A. Hidalgo, Robert Garofalo

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

21 Scopus citations

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to better understand parents' perceptions of how, if at all, their transgender and gender-nonconforming (TGNC) children exhibited common childhood emotional and behavioral concerns in relation to gender nonconformity/gender dysphoria (GD), and to identify ways in which evidence-based interventions (EBI) targeting emotional and behavioral concerns could be adapted to best serve TGNC children. Qualitative data were gathered from a targeted focus group activity with 40 parents (25 mothers, 15 fathers) of 24 TGNC children ages 4-11 years old. Parents of TGNC children described how 4 prespecified domains of emotional and behavioral problems (i.e., oppositional behavior, anger, sadness, and fears/worries) are characterized in the context of gender-nonconformity/GD. Parents also identified precipitants of these problems. Overall study findings indicate there is a role for EBI adaptation as parents identified many different examples of emotional and behavioral challenges emerging in unique and nuanced ways in TGNC children.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)342-352
Number of pages11
JournalClinical Practice in Pediatric Psychology
Volume5
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2017

Funding

This work was supported by the Stanley Manne Research Institute’s Translational Research Pilot Study Fund at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. We thank Courtney Finlayson, Scott Leibowitz, Jennifer Lein-inger, and Lisa Simons, for their contribution to recruitment for this research. In addition, we thank all the families who participated in the focus groups—we truly appreciate their time, effort, and thoughtfulness.

Keywords

  • Gender-nonconforming children
  • focus group
  • gender diverse children
  • qualitative research
  • transgender children

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Clinical Psychology
  • Developmental and Educational Psychology
  • Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
  • Applied Psychology

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