Support for Mothers, Fathers, or Guardians of Transgender Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review on the Dynamics of Secondary Social Networks

Abstract

Mothers’, fathers’, or guardians’ support for disclosures of diverse gender identity has significant relationships with decreased suicidality for transgender children and adolescents. They play an essential role in facing transphobia, protecting trans children, and strengthening the expression of their identity. These guardians need structural, emotional, and informative support; they need to be prepared to recognize and manage of their own feelings, as well as deal with the challenges that come with new social contexts of transphobia in schools, health institutions, and other community spaces. This study aimed to analyze the scientific evidence on the dynamics of secondary social networks to support mothers, fathers, or guardians of transgender children and adolescents. This is a systematic review of qualitative studies, guided by PRISMA guidelines. Controlled and free vocabularies were used to survey the primary studies in the following databases: EMBASE; Scopus; MEDLINE; Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL); PsycInfo; Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences (LILACS); and Web of Science. A total of 28 articles made up the final sample of this review. Secondary social networks were described as fragile, characterized by conflicting and broken ties with healthcare services and professionals, isolation and unpreparedness from schools, and emotional and informational support from peer groups and some qualified healthcare professionals. The literature shows the potential of the dynamics of secondary social support networks; however, it presented the unpreparedness of professionals and institutional policies for welcoming transgender children and adolescents and their families, with the peer group being the main emotional and informative support network.

Rede social de mães, pais ou responsáveis por crianças e adolescentes transgêneros

“…A produção de conhecimentos acerca dos vínculos entre os responsáveis por crianças ou adolescentes transgêneros e sua rede social passa a compor a literatura científica de forma mais expressiva nos últimos três anos, a partir de estudos empíricos procedentes, em sua maioria, do continente norte Americano e Europeu (ABREU et al, 2022a;2022b). Estes estudos revelaram desafios dos responsáveis para reconhecimento da identidade de gênero do seu filho(a/e), sentimento de perda ambígua da criança idealizada, dúvidas, sofrimento psíquico, além dos vínculos frágeis entre esses e sua rede social, evidenciado pelo contexto de transfobia estrutural, inclusive em países desenvolvidos (ABREU et al, 2022a;2022b).…”

“…É importante ressaltar que os enfermeiros, com a equipe transdisciplinar 2 , possuem importante função na promoção da saúde, desmistificação social dos preconceitos, acolhimento e inclusão e fortalecimento de redes de apoio. O vínculo entre o enfermeiro/equipe transdiciplinar e a pessoa trans incluindo a família e demais atores da rede social pode promover melhor adesão e resolução de problemas cotidianos, favorecendo o cuidado integral, a partir de uma atuação profissional humanizada (ABREU et al, 2022a;2022b).…”