"Can I still say dad?: An exploration of loss and grief experienced by Irish adult transgender women and their families

In the slipstream of what was considered a very progressive gender recognition legislation, Ireland has continued to address the needs of transgender people and their families through trans NGO TENI. Partly funded by the Irish... [ view full abstract ]

In the slipstream of what was considered a very progressive gender recognition legislation, Ireland has continued to address the needs of transgender people and their families through trans NGO TENI. Partly funded by the Irish National Health Service (HSE) TENI have endeavoured to provide a holistic service to meet the needs of the trans community. As family acceptance and support has been found to significantly improve the transition outcomes of trans people there was a specific focus on family support development with the aim to build a wrap around service for the trans person. As family members experience many challenges whilst navigating their loved ones transition they can experience a staged approach to acceptance. Anger, denial, bargaining, acceptance and resilience have been identified as the main stages. However a dearth of literature exists pertaining to the experiences of loss and grief experienced on either side, especially that of ambiguous loss. Furthermore ambiguous loss can have a traumatic effect and cause significant mental health challenges for both family members and transgender people alike which may act as an inhibitor to acceptance. This study highlights the loss and grief experiences of both adult trans people and their families.

The aim of this research study was to explore the experiences of loss and grief with adult transgender women and their families which will subsequently form an understanding and subsequently the development of services to... [ view full abstract ]

The aim of this research study was to explore the experiences of loss and grief with adult transgender women and their families which will subsequently form an understanding and subsequently the development of services to meet the needs of the trans family. The objectives are:
1. To undertake a through review of global and national literature.
2. Design and develop methodology for ethically attaining the experiences of this vulnerable group through interviews.
3. Identifying themes that emerge through 1 hour semi-structured interviews
4. To write up findings, recommendations and limitations.
5. To track this MA to a PhD and to broaden out this study.
6. To develop existing services to include a particular focus on loss and grief experienced by trans people and their families based on this research.

As the participants for this study were of a vulnerable group the researcher sought ethics approval from the LIT Ethics Committee for clearance to undertake field work, The researcher interviewed 12 participants in a 1 hour... [ view full abstract ]

As the participants for this study were of a vulnerable group the researcher sought ethics approval from the LIT Ethics Committee for clearance to undertake field work, The researcher interviewed 12 participants in a 1 hour semi-structured interview. The transgender person was currently undergoing or completed a gender transition for at least 12 months. This may be hormone medical intervention, diagnoses of Gender Dysphoria, have changed legal gender on their birth cert or in receipt of a Gender Recognition Certificate. Family members will include; father ,mother, sibling, spouse, ex-spouse, child, grandparent, uncle, aunt or, grandchild.The participants included adult trans women (+30). Subgroups included:
1. 4 Adult trans women (30+)
2. 3 mothers of adult trans women
3. 2 Daughters of adult trans women
4. I son of adult trans women
5. I father of adult trans women
6. 1 Ex-spouse of an adult trans woman
7. Participants sought from all four provinces of Ireland
8. Participants accessed through TENI, TransParenCI and through snowballing

Software was not used in data explication.

Measuring outcomes was not applicable [ view full abstract ]

Measuring outcomes was not applicable

Results would suggest that adult trans women and their families do experience a significant amount of loss and grief. Adult trans women experience various different forms of loss and grief than their families. The themes that... [ view full abstract ]

Results would suggest that adult trans women and their families do experience a significant amount of loss and grief. Adult trans women experience various different forms of loss and grief than their families. The themes that emerged from the adult trans women were, loss of the assumptive world as they internalised their sense of self to conform to societies expectations, the sense of not belonging as they matured and socialised as they conformed to their families and societies expectations. Consequently the stress, feelings of isolation, loss and grief experienced due to the relational ruptures that followed when deciding to transition to their identified gender. Ambiguous loss was experienced by both sets of participants.Furthermore and similar to existing theories regarding stages of acceptance. Moreover one of the main themes to emerge was 'mother balancing' as it would seem through most of the interviews that the mother held a pivotal role which mediated between and gave emotional support to all. Circumstances of being told also emerged as a key theme as interestingly was the use of humour as a coping tool to deal with the situation. Resiliency was evident in most participants as they negotiated new meanings and an understanding of events.

Early indications suggest that there were various comparisons between the findings of this study and existing studies focusing on loss and grief within adult trans families. Furthermore adult trans women experienced... [ view full abstract ]

Early indications suggest that there were various comparisons between the findings of this study and existing studies focusing on loss and grief within adult trans families. Furthermore adult trans women experienced significant levels of stress due to loss and grief experienced which added to the heightened risks of mental illness and suicide ideation within this cohort. However there were a number of additional differences that existed due to this study being undertaken in Ireland moreover with adult trans women over the age of 30. Similar to existing study's being told was an essential component that contributed to an understanding and the potential for ongoing support for the adult trans person. Furthermore the identification of the mother as the key person is a significant finding that has not being identified in other sources. Recommendations include,  development, design and delivery of programmes to aid both adult trans people and their families enabling all to form an understanding and construct new meanings going forward. Additionally it provides organisations insight to design and deliver resilience training to both trans people and families. 

This workshop is presented in tandem with Ross Whittaker's and the session will end with reflections on broader themes raised in both.