Resilience in Families in Transition: What Happens When a Parent Is Transgender?

Abstract

Objective To understand the experiences of both children and parents in families where one of the parent is transgender. Background A focus on the family environment can be found in research concerning transgender youth, but this focus is lacking in research on transgender adults. To our knowledge, research so far has not shed light on the experiences of minor children who have witnessed the transition of their parent. Method Using the family resilience framework, which is a useful theoretical framework for analyzing family transitions, we conducted in‐depth qualitative interviews with 13 children and 15 parents (8 cisgender and 7 transgender) from 9 families. Results Various protective family processes were distinguished in the achievement of adaptive functioning outcomes: family continuity, family communication, significant others' acceptance, and attributing meaning. Hence, the findings from this research clearly show that the gender transition of a parent in itself should not be problematized. Conclusion Through good practices and protective processes within the family, the transition of a parent's gender can be accepted by children. Implications These findings have implications for families with a transgender parent as well as for anyone working with children and their transgender parents.