UC Santa Barbara

The present study explored parental support of transgender Latinx youth. Transgender Latinx youth experience multiple, intersecting forms of oppression. Given the important role that parents play in youth’s lives, parental support can act as a buffer against minority stressors (Meyer, 2003). Parental support is, in fact, associated with positive mental health outcomes, such as lower levels of depression, anxiety, and increased self-esteem (Olson et al., 2016; Przeworski & Piedra, 2020; Ryan et al., 2010; Simons et al., 2013). However, transgender Latinxs have reported lower levels of acceptance compared to other ethnic groups (Harrison-Quintana et al., 2008). Research is lacking regarding factors that may play a part in parental support of transgender Latinx youth, including cultural values, such as familismo, machismo/marianismo, and respeto. Additionally, youth themselves can contribute valuable information about types of parental support they desire or would find most helpful. An understanding of parental support for transgender Latinx youth grounded in the voices of youth could provide valuable insight to inform parents, clinicians, and researchers. Thus, the present study seeks to draw on youths’ perspectives to elucidate parental support for transgender Latinx youth. Nine nonbinary and trans men/transmasculine Latinxs aged 18-23 were interviewed regarding their experiences with parental support. A research team analyzed the data utilizing a constructivist grounded theory approach (Charmaz, 2006). Analyses yielded six themes and thirty-two sub-themes that created a model of parental support of transgender Latinx youth. Themes included in the model were as follows: Cultural Factors, External Factors, Existing Relationship with Parents, Youth Strategies, Supportive Behaviors, and Unsupportive Behaviors. The resulting model, Dynamic Model of Parental Support for Transgender Latinx Youth, illustrates the impact of cultural factors, external factors, and the existing parent-child relationship on youth’s strategies, parental behaviors, and felt sense of support. In this model, parental support is a dynamic process, as well as a snapshot in time, with fluctuations in parent and youth behaviors modifying youth’s feelings of support at a given point in time. This study advances research in parental support with unique contributions in terms of Latinx cultural factors, nuanced understanding of parental support, and dynamic interactions between parent and youth, as all of which is captured in the Dynamic Model of Parental Support for Transgender Latinx Youth. Limitations are addressed in terms of trustworthiness and transferability of results. Implications for practice, research, and parenting are discussed.