Characterising trajectories of social transition in a cohort of gender diverse Australian children and adolescents
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Background
Social transition, defined as all outward changes in gender expression to align with and affirm one’s gender identity, has been richly described in qualitative studies, but quantitative research often lacks the detail required to capture its full complexity. To date, no studies have quantitatively examined how this process varies in young people over time.
Methods
Longitudinal data were obtained from 234 trans and gender diverse Australian young people (ages 8-17) attending a specialist paediatric gender service across at least two annual waves from 2017 to 2024. Social transition was operationalised using three practices (name, pronouns, and appearance) across five contexts (home, school, online, with friends, and extended family). For each practice, we captured the contexts in which a change had been enacted or was desired in the future.
Findings
Most young people reported changes to their enacted social transition (73.9%) and adjustments in their social transition goals (60.7%) over time. Grouping of participants with similar social transition trajectories identified that most (78.6%) met their goals by the final wave, while many of those who had not were still progressing toward them (50.0%). Progress varied by gender, with trans boys significantly more likely than trans girls to meet their social transition goals.
Conclusion
In our longitudinal clinical cohort of gender diverse young people, social transition encompassed diverse practices, contexts, and goals, which evolved over time. Despite this variability, clusters of trajectories emerged, indicating that groups of young people can follow similar patterns, while maintaining unique experiences.
