Empowering youth, families and communities with gender affirming services, training and research.

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Research at GFP

GFP works to inform and improve current knowledge on trans & gender expansive (TGE) youth and their families. As a part of the Ackerman Institute, GFP focuses on the family and other systems that affect the lives of TGE youth. Through our exploration of the experiences, challenges, and environmental contexts of TGE youth and their families, we seek to improve their social, psychological, and even physical health outcomes.

Current Projects

How do affirming support groups and family therapy improve the lives of TGE youth and their families?

GFP’s GIFT Study

The Gauging our Impact on Families over Time (GIFT) study is GFP’s current longitudinal investigation of client outcomes. GFP has served families for over 10 years, providing high-quality services and an affirming community for youth and caregivers. By collecting semi-annual surveys, GFP can observe the relationship between its offerings and the benefits experienced by TGE youth and their families, including improvements in psychological well-being, parental acceptance of gender expansiveness, and family functioning. GFP also seeks to understand the other factors in the lives of families that may mediate or moderate these outcomes, such as race, involvement in the child welfare system, or a caregiver’s own gender and sexuality. GFP also recognizes that finding an affirming community for the first time can be life-changing for many of our families, even if they are limited in their ability to attend groups or engage in therapy. As such, the GIFT study also considers length of involvement with GFP’s community as a potentially powerful predictor of family well-being beyond the quantity of services utilized.

How has legislation which criminalizes gender-affirming care affected medical and mental health providers?

A Mixed Methods Investigation of Trans-Affirming Providers’ Experiences

Over the last 10 years, there has been an alarming increase in anti-transgender legislation in the U.S. In particular, the number of bills proposed to limit or criminalize gender-affirming or transition-related care (GATRC) went up from 37 in 2022 to an astonishing 185 in 2023, with 147 bills proposed thus far in 2024 (Trans Legislation Tracker). While there is growing literature on the impact of this legislation on trans youth and adults, there is a lack of research on how these bills impact the providers and healthcare systems on which trans youth and adults rely. The present study seeks to assess the personal and professional impact of anti-trans healthcare legislation on providers of GATRC. Through a cross-sectional survey, the study will collect data on the demographics of providers, the types of care they provide, and the various impacts of anti-trans legislation on their personal and professional lives. Results of this study will be used to advocate for the well-being of providers of GATRC and to raise awareness about the potential effects of provider well-being on the healthcare system overall.

What impact does family acceptance or rejection have on depression, self-esteem, and suicidality for queer and trans folx?

A Meta-analysis of the Relationship between Family Acceptance and Rejection and Well-Being of Sexual and Gender Minority Individuals

IPARTheory (Rohner et al,. 2021) proposes that the expressions of acceptance and rejection that an individual receives from caregivers during childhood will influence them for the rest of their life. Within the field of LGBTQ+ psychology, there has been a focus on youth and their experiences of general, as well as gender- and sexuality-specific, acceptance and rejection from their caregivers. The present study seeks to synthesize the results of over 180 studies to assess the true magnitude of the relationship between family acceptance or rejection and depression, self-esteem, suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among sexual and gender minority individuals. Overall effect sizes will be calculated for several combinations of predictors and outcomes. Where possible, additional moderators (e.g., year of publication, mean age of sample, race/ethnicity of sample) will be explored to identify other influences on the relationship.

Questions about our research?

Contact Nat Roberts, Research Coordinator at NRoberts@ackerman.org.