A grounded theory of parents’ experiences supporting gender-diverse children and young people

Introduction: There is a growing body of evidence evaluating the psychological outcomes of gender-diverse youth. However, research exploring the experiences of parents of gender-diverse youth is lagging, particularly in the UK. How parents make sense of their experiences while responding to their child’s developing gender-identity is an important area for research owing to the important role parental support plays in improving outcomes for gender-diverse youth. Furthermore, the emotional and psychological impact of these experiences on parents’ own psychological wellbeing is poorly understood and warrants further investigation to address any unmet needs. As such, this study aimed to explore parents’ experiences parenting their gender-diverse children and the psycho-social processes which underpin these experiences. The study aimed to produce a theory which explored how parents make sense of these experiences, including identifying factors which are facilitative in this process. Method: This study employed a convergent mixed methods-grounded theory design (Johnson et al., 2010). Part one involved the completion of a short online survey which explored parents’ information and support seeking behaviours, the perceived helpfulness of these resources and the impact of their experiences on day-to-day tasks. In total, 17 respondents completed the survey. Survey data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Part two of the study involved follow-up semi-structured interviews with ten parents (eight mothers and two fathers). Interviews were transcribed and analysed using a constructivist grounded theory (Charmaz, 2006). The method employed credibility checks in line with handling qualitative data. Results: The survey results are summarised. Participants described seeking information and support via informal and formal routes. The perceived helpfulness of these sources was rated by participants from very helpful to not at all helpful. A theoretical interpretation was developed, grounded in participants’ experiences. The interpretation explores the dynamic relationships between the five core categories and 16 sub-categories. The core-categories, ‘parental identity’, ‘living the process’, ‘facilitators to the process’, ‘challenges to the process’ and ‘growing from the process’, are presented alongside participants’ quotes. Discussion: Salient findings are presented and discussed in relation to the wider literature. The study contributes a theoretical interpretation of parents’ experiences parenting their gender-diverse children which is discussed in relation to clinical and stakeholder implications. Lastly, areas for future research are considered in addition to an evaluation of the current study’s strengths and limitations.