Study finds social transition goals among trans young people evolve over time

A three-year study suggests that social transition is shaped by age, family support and changing self-understanding, highlighting the need for more flexible support from families, schools and healthcare services.

New research from the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute suggests that social transition for trans young people is not a fixed event but a changing process shaped by age, family support and personal understanding. The study, published in The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific, followed 234 trans children and adolescents in Victoria, Australia, for up to three years and examined how their goals around names, pronouns, appearance and relationships shifted across home, school, online spaces, friendships and extended family life.

Researchers said the findings point to the need for families, schools and healthcare workers to treat social transition as something that can evolve over time rather than a single destination. Will Conabere, a Murdoch Children’s researcher, said the study showed that young people often refine what they want as they grow and understand themselves better, and that support should respond to individual needs instead of assuming every child will follow the same path.

The analysis found that younger participants were more likely to expand their social transition goals over time. Trans boys were also more likely than trans girls to achieve the changes they hoped for, a difference the researchers said deserves closer scrutiny. More than half of the young people in the study consistently reached their social transition goals, and those from families with stronger communication, support and problem-solving were more likely to do so.

Separate Murdoch Children’s research has added more context to the wider picture of gender-diverse young people. One study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, found that the share of non-binary young people attending a specialist gender service rose from 14.2 per cent in 2017 to 39 per cent in 2023. It also found that although many non-binary participants reported relatively high body satisfaction and were less likely to want some forms of medical affirmation than binary trans peers, nearly all still wanted to change at least one body feature, with breasts, chest and voice among the most common concerns.

Another study involving Murdoch Children’s, the University of Melbourne and Swinburne University of Technology looked at gender euphoria, the positive feelings linked to living in a way that matches a person’s gender identity. Published in eClinicalMedicine, it surveyed more than 700 trans and gender-diverse Australians aged 16 to 79 and found that most experienced gender euphoria at least once a week. The experience varied by gender identity, age and access to gender-affirming care, with non-binary participants reporting stronger feelings tied to community connection but less self-affirmation than binary trans peers. Researchers said the three studies together show that gender affirmation is highly individual and that services, schools and policymakers need to be flexible enough to reflect that diversity.