Youth and Parent Experiences in a Multidisciplinary Gender Clinic

• Published in: Transgender health Vol. 4; no. 1; pp. 1 - 106
• Main Authors: Inwards-Breland, David J., DiVall, Sara, Salehi, Parisa, Crouch, Julia M., Negaard, Morgan, Lu, Amanda, Kantor, Alena, Albertson, Katie, Ahrens, Kym R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers 02.04.2019; Mary Ann Liebert, Inc
• Subjects: Autism; Caregivers; Children & youth; Clinics; Consent; Data collection; Ethnicity; Families & family life; Gender dysphoria; Gender identity; Gender nonconforming; Health care; Interviews; Mental health; Non-binary gender; Parents & parenting; Patients; Polls & surveys; Puberty; Short Report; Transgender persons; multidisciplinary; gender clinic; gender nonconforming; satisfaction, transgender; youth
• ISSN: 2380-193X; 2380-193X
• DOI: 10.1089/trgh.2018.0046

Purpose: To assess youth and parent/caregiver satisfaction with care at a pediatric multidisciplinary gender clinic. Methods: Transgender/gender nonconforming youth ( n =33) and their parent/caregiver ( n =29) completed self-report questionnaires and individual interviews ( n =20) about experiences and satisfaction with care. Results: Quantitatively, participants reported being extremely satisfied with care experiences (parents 97%; youth 94%). Qualitatively, main themes included (1) affirmation due to use of preferred name/pronouns, (2) access barriers due to scheduling and readiness assessments, and (3) positive interactions with Care Navigator. Conclusion: Youth and parents/caregivers are highly satisfied with multidisciplinary, coordinated health care for transgender/gender nonconforming youth; however, some challenges remain.