A grounded theory of the process of social transition in a family context from the perspective of gender diverse young people and their parents.

backgroundSome gender diverse young people (GDYP) socially transition-a process of changing from living as the gender that they were assigned at birth to another gender, through social means. Whilst the role of the whole family in the social transitions of GDYP has been indicated, there is a lack of applicable theory and research on the processes of social transition within UK families. The aim of the current study was to address this gap by building a grounded theory of the social transition of young people within the family context.

methodsWe conducted one-to-one, semi-structured interviews with nine participants from four UK families (four GDYP and five parents). All participants were recruited through the UK Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS). Data were analysed using grounded theory methodology.

resultsThe developed theory suggests that the social transition of young people within the family context is a young person-led family resilience process, through which families work towards the young person experiencing greater acceptance and belonging. The process consisted of several adaptive subprocesses and was influenced by contextual factors. In managing the challenges of social transition and particularly non-affirming responses, families increased in resourcefulness and developed the understanding and tolerance of their communities.

conclusionFurther research is needed, particularly in families of different racial backgrounds, and to assess the applicability of the model to families without an affirming parent. Implications are considered within the context of recent changes in UK clinical service provision and developments in educational guidance.