Perceived Parenting Styles of Individuals With Gender Dysphoria

Abstract

Objective: To map patterns of behavior of parents and/or caregivers as perceived by their adult children, transgender patients seen through the Programa Transdisciplinar de Identidade de Gênero, and to determine if one parenting style was more prevalent. Design: 82 patients were interviewed by the Parenting Style Inventory. Results: The 82 patients (32 transgender men and 50 transgender women) completed a total of 145 protocols, being 65 concerning their fathers, and 80 concerning their mothers. The transgender women’s perceptions of their mothers were significantly different from those concerning their fathers. The transgender men and women had a positive mean perception of their relationship with their mothers and a negative mean perception of their fathers. The transgender women had on average a positive perception of their relationship with their mothers and a negative perception of their relationship with their fathers. This difference in perception was primarily in positive practices; the women felt that their mothers exhibited more positive practices of Positive Monitoring (A) and Moral Behavior (B) than their fathers. When we compared negative practices, negligence alone was considered the worst parental pattern by both transgender men and women. Conclusion: Our study shows that fathers, more so than mothers, need to be encouraged to participate in the process of understanding the transgender condition and that in general, families need to be supported by mental health professionals to provide a more welcoming environment for individuals with Gender Dysphoria.