Experiences of parents of trans young people accessing Australian health services for their child: Findings from Trans Pathways

作者：Georgia Chaplyn, Liz Saunders, Ashleigh Lin, Angus Cook, Sam Winter, Natalie Gasson, Vanessa Watson, Dani Wright Toussaint, Penelope Strauss · 发表于：International Journal of Transgender Health · 年份：2023 · DOI：10.1080/26895269.2023.2177921 · 被引用次数：13 · 研究领域：LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy、Sex and Gender in Healthcare、Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health

Background: Many trans young people seek mental health support and gender-affirming medical interventions including puberty suppression, gender-affirming hormones and/or surgeries. Trans young people and their parents face multiple barriers in accessing gender-affirming care and mental health support, however little is known about the parent perspective on accessing services for their trans child. Aims: This study aimed to understand the experiences of parents accessing medical and mental health services with and for their trans children within Australia. Methods: Using data from Trans Pathways, a large mixed-methods cross-sectional study, we examined the experiences of parents (N = 194) in Australia accessing primary care, psychiatry, therapy/counseling, mental health inpatient, and gender-affirming medical services with/for their trans children (aged 25 years or younger). Qualitative data on service experiences were thematically analyzed. Quantitative analyses included frequency of access to services, wait times, service satisfaction, and mental health diagnoses of the parents' trans child. Results: Services were mostly first accessed when the young person was between 12 and 17 years of age, with primary care physicians being the most accessed service. Parents reported that some practitioners were respectful and knowledgeable about gender-affirming care, and others lacked experience in trans health. Across all services, common barriers included long wait times, complicated ...