Acceptability of Screening for Gender Identity in a National Sample of Parents with Young Children

Purpose: Providing support for transgender and gender nonconforming children's identity before puberty has been shown to improve mental health outcomes. This study aimed to determine the acceptability of population-based screening for gender identity with parents of young children.Methods: A national sample of parents with children ages 3-12 completed an online survey about their child's gender and their own feelings about answering such questions. Multivariate linear regression models identified significant predictors of acceptability among parents and children.Results: A racially/ethnically and geographically diverse sample of parents (N=2680) completed the survey during August 2022. Most (94.2%) reported their child's gender was consistent with their sex assigned at birth; 2.3% reported their child identified as the opposite gender and 3.4% reported their child was nonbinary. Most parents found the questions to be acceptable; 87.8% indicated they did not find the questions offensive and 87.4% indicated they would be comfortable answering the questions with a pediatrician. A small minority of parents (7%) expressed strong resistance to answering the questions, referencing religious and moral objections, a belief that young children cannot understand and should not be encouraged to think about gender identity, that such questions sexualized children, and that gender was a private issue to be kept within the family.Conclusion: Screening for gender identity with parents of young children is largely acceptable and may provide opportunities for normalizing discussions about gender and linking families in need to gender-affirming psychosocial and medical support.