Investigators:
Associate Professor Yael Perry, Prof Ashleigh Lin, Dr Penelope Strauss, Laura Wells, Helen Morgan, Dan Raab, James Hill
Research indicates that parents report a complex range of emotions and experiences when they become aware of their trans or gender diverse (hereafter referred to as trans) child’s gender identity. There is little dedicated research, however, that specifically investigates the impact of having a trans child on parental mental health and wellbeing. Accordingly, the aim of this study is to gain a better understanding regarding the impact of parenting a trans child on parental mental health and wellbeing. Specifically, Parent Pathways will be the first national, longitudinal study inviting parents to complete an anonymous survey online which will focus on capturing the experiences of parenting trans children (aged up to 25 years) regarding aspects such as parental mental health and wellbeing and impact on family and wider relationships.
Findings will provide insight into the experiences and needs of parents of trans children and will be used to inform service providers and policy makers to assist them in the development of services and resources that will better address parents’ support needs.
Project outputs
This project will:
- develop, produce and launch a national online survey exploring the mental health and wellbeing of parents of trans young people.
- collect longitudinal data relating to parental mental health and wellbeing, impacts of having a trans child on parental emotional reactions, individual wellbeing factors, relationships with friends and family, and dealing with systems (health, schooling, legal).
- produce findings to be shared with service providers and policy makers to aid in the development of services and resources for parents.
External collaborators
Department of Psychology, Edith Cowan University (Dr Eyal Gringart)
School of Psychological Science, The University of Western Australia (Associate Professor Jeneva Ohan)