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"There's No Booklet That Comes With it": Parents' Experiences of Seeking Support for Their Gender-Diverse Children and Themselves.

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Title: "There's No Booklet That Comes With it": Parents' Experiences of Seeking Support for Their Gender-Diverse Children and Themselves.
Authors: McKay, Kathy, Wright, Talen, Young, Bridget, Kennedy, Eilis
Source: Journal of Child & Family Studies. May2026, Vol. 35 Issue 5, p1123-1140. 18p.
Subjects: Gender-nonconforming people, Support groups, Qualitative research, Interviewing, Field notes (Science), Medical care, Parent attitudes, Help-seeking behavior, Listening, Learning, Uncertainty, Families, Emotions, Longitudinal method, Sound recordings, Thematic analysis, Medical research, Psychology of parents, Social support, Social isolation, Friendship, Children
Abstract: This paper explores the experiences of the parents of gender-diverse children in terms of the support they sought for their child, as well as the support they sought for themselves. Examining the ways in which they balanced the emotional labour of being a parent advocating for their child, and protecting their child from perceived and actual harms, is important in understanding the care that these carers may also require. The findings in this paper come from a longitudinal study and focus on the first interviews conducted with 39 parents of gender-diverse young people aged between 5 and 15 years, none of whose children had yet been seen by a gender service. Three main themes were generated: 1. Listening and learning – (a) Voicing their uncertainty, (b) Listening lessens uncertainty, (c) Being led by their child; 2. Layers of support – (a) Family and friends, (b) Support groups, (c) GPs and Gender Identity Development Service, (d) Doing their own research; and, 3. Isolation. Findings from this paper highlight a gap within the healthcare system where parents often navigate their way through heretofore unknown health service systems with very little guidance from their peers or healthcare professionals. It is clear that parents require assistance in engaging with these systems to best meet the various needs of their child and family. The ways in the support required by parents and children might change or shift over time will be examined longitudinally in future papers. Highlights: Adding to our understanding of how parents of gender-diverse children experience access to support structures and the ways advocate for their child. Narratives from the first interviews in a longitudinal study of families in the UK whose children were on the waitlist of the national gender service. Themes of 'listening and learning', 'layers of support', and 'isolation' demonstrate the various experiences of parents of gender-diverse children. Parents' narratives made clear that people providing care within support groups, GP services and gender services need to be able to meet the parents where they're at, acknowledging the emotional labour required to find these services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
Description
Abstract:This paper explores the experiences of the parents of gender-diverse children in terms of the support they sought for their child, as well as the support they sought for themselves. Examining the ways in which they balanced the emotional labour of being a parent advocating for their child, and protecting their child from perceived and actual harms, is important in understanding the care that these carers may also require. The findings in this paper come from a longitudinal study and focus on the first interviews conducted with 39 parents of gender-diverse young people aged between 5 and 15 years, none of whose children had yet been seen by a gender service. Three main themes were generated: 1. Listening and learning – (a) Voicing their uncertainty, (b) Listening lessens uncertainty, (c) Being led by their child; 2. Layers of support – (a) Family and friends, (b) Support groups, (c) GPs and Gender Identity Development Service, (d) Doing their own research; and, 3. Isolation. Findings from this paper highlight a gap within the healthcare system where parents often navigate their way through heretofore unknown health service systems with very little guidance from their peers or healthcare professionals. It is clear that parents require assistance in engaging with these systems to best meet the various needs of their child and family. The ways in the support required by parents and children might change or shift over time will be examined longitudinally in future papers. Highlights: Adding to our understanding of how parents of gender-diverse children experience access to support structures and the ways advocate for their child. Narratives from the first interviews in a longitudinal study of families in the UK whose children were on the waitlist of the national gender service. Themes of 'listening and learning', 'layers of support', and 'isolation' demonstrate the various experiences of parents of gender-diverse children. Parents' narratives made clear that people providing care within support groups, GP services and gender services need to be able to meet the parents where they're at, acknowledging the emotional labour required to find these services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:10621024
DOI:10.1007/s10826-026-03278-1