“I Was Losing That Sense of Her Being Happy”—Trans Children and Delaying Social Transition

Within transgender children’s healthcare there are two competing paradigms on appropriate support for pre-pubertal trans children, ‘affirmation’ and ‘delayed transition’. Parents of trans children accordingly face conflicting advice on the appropriate timing of ‘social transition’, where social transition connotes external acceptance and affirmation of a child’s identity. This innovative research brings experience-based insights from 30 UK-based parents (93% female), who supported 30 trans children to socially transition at an average age of seven years old (range 3–10 years old). Data were analyzed through inductive reflexive thematic analysis to understand interviewee experiences and perceptions related to the timing of social transition. Analysis highlights two broad themes; firstly, the influence of cisnormativity on delay, with parents revealing deeply embedded resistance to trans possibilities. Secondly, parental perception of delays causing distress, even in families who may be considered affirming. The study reinforces existing research on the importance of affirmation and family support. The study also highlights the support parents may need to overcome cisnormative barriers to supportiveness, and the distress, frustration and trauma that trans children may experience, even within affirming families.

现有文献提供的关于支持青春期前社会转型的经验视角见解有限。鉴于这一主题对于家庭和与跨性别儿童一起工作的人的重要性，本文探讨了以下研究问题：经历社会转变的跨性别儿童的父母可以分享哪些关于他们肯定或延迟转变的经历的见解?除此以外，本文探讨了这些父母如何反思自己对待社会转型时机的做法？

该研究聚焦于英国青春期前进行社交过渡的跨性别儿童的顺性别规范性、权利与福祉。本研究仅涉及家长数据，受访者需为拥有社交过渡的跨性别儿童且孩子年龄在11岁以下的家长。这篇文章通过访谈30位来自英格兰、苏格兰和威尔士的家长收集数据。受访者中93%为白人女性，70%的年龄在40至50岁之间，家庭收入和学历层次各异。访谈对象的孩子共30名，其中15名女孩、12名男孩和3名非二元性别儿童，平均7岁开始社交过渡，访谈时孩子的平均年龄为11岁。 受访者通过在支持跨性别儿童家长的线上社群中发布信息招募，且通过滚雪球采样法进一步招募。数据收集通过远程访谈进行，采用Microsoft Teams平台，访谈时长为1至3小时，涵盖健康护理、教育和家庭等主题。数据分析采用归纳性反思性主题分析法，旨在理解家长对于社交过渡时机的经验与看法，分析过程中结合现有文献，确保主题的准确性和一致性。

这项研究揭示了跨性别儿童认同的普遍延迟，即便在那些表面上支持孩子进行青春期前社交过渡的家庭中，几乎所有家长的叙述都反映出这种延迟。尽管这些家庭已支持并认同孩子的跨性别身份，但家长们仍深受顺性别规范的影响，表现出对跨性别可能性的根深蒂固的抗拒。研究突显了跨性别儿童在面临认同延迟和拒绝时所经历的挑战、挫折与创伤，即使在那些看似支持的家庭中，顺性别规范也会妨碍认同的实现。受访家庭一致表示支持孩子并确认其身份，唯一的遗憾是曾未及时提供足够支持。家长们通过亲身经历认识到，延迟、忽视和拒绝对孩子福祉造成了负面影响，每位受访者都强调了“延迟过渡”对孩子带来的伤害。这些发现凸显了专业人士为跨性别儿童家长提供基于证据的指导的必要性，帮助家长意识到并克服顺性别规范的障碍，同时也帮助那些善意但缺乏信息的家长认识到延迟、忽视和拒绝的危害。