Parent Participation in a Support Group for Families with Transgender and Gender-Nonconforming Children: "Being in the Company of Others Who Do Not Question the Reality of Our Experience"

Purpose: Parent support is considered crucial for the health of transgender and gender-nonconforming (trans/GNC) children, yet little research has focused on how to support parents and caregivers. This study considered the experience of participation in a support group for parents of transgender children on families. Methods: Online surveys were conducted with parents whose children were receiving clinical care at a gender specialty clinic and who participated at least once in a monthly support group. Close-ended questions addressed the importance of participation and open-ended questions addressed the specific ways it was helpful, how it impacted them and their trans/GNC child, and if they faced barriers to participating. Results: The majority of the 48 participants (77.1%) identified as female. The mean age of their trans/GNC child was 13.9 years (standard deviation 5.1, range 5-22 years); just over half (n=25) of their trans/GNC children identified as male. Participants overwhelmingly reported positive experiences with the support group, with 72.9% reporting that the group was either important or critically important to them and 66.7% reporting that it was important or critically important to their trans/GNC child. Perceived benefits included the opportunity to learn about legal, medical, and school issues and receive emotional support. Conclusion: Support groups provide an important complement to specialized clinical care for families with trans/GNC children. Logistical challenges, lack of age peers, and lack of people of color all served as limitations of the group. Further research is needed to understand the experiences of fathers and to determine if the support group model would be effective with racially/ethnically and economically diverse populations.