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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]
Copyright of Journal of Child & Family Studies is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: "There's No Booklet That Comes With it": Parents' Experiences of Seeking Support for Their Gender-Diverse Children and Themselves.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22McKay%2C+Kathy%22">McKay, Kathy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Wright%2C+Talen%22">Wright, Talen</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Young%2C+Bridget%22">Young, Bridget</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Kennedy%2C+Eilis%22">Kennedy, Eilis</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Child+%26+Family+Studies%22">Journal of Child & Family Studies</searchLink>. May2026, Vol. 35 Issue 5, p1123-1140. 18p.
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  Data: 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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  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Child & Family Studies is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=pbh&AN=193628751
RecordInfo BibRecord:
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    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1007/s10826-026-03278-1
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 18
        StartPage: 1123
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Gender-nonconforming people
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Support groups
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Qualitative research
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Interviewing
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Field notes (Science)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Medical care
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Parent attitudes
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Help-seeking behavior
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Listening
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Learning
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Uncertainty
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Families
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Emotions
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Longitudinal method
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Sound recordings
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Thematic analysis
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Medical research
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Psychology of parents
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Social support
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Social isolation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Friendship
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Children
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: "There's No Booklet That Comes With it": Parents' Experiences of Seeking Support for Their Gender-Diverse Children and Themselves.
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            NameFull: McKay, Kathy
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            NameFull: Wright, Talen
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            NameFull: Young, Bridget
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            – D: 01
              M: 05
              Text: May2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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