Although transgender care* and differences of sex development (DSD)/intersex care** are different settings, a lot of similar uncertainties are at stake. Challenges in both healthcare settings may involve the elusive nature of sex/gender, timing and long-term outcomes of treatment, questions regarding autonomy and informed consent of minors, unpredictable responses of the environment, societal discussions, and questions about sexual functioning and fertility.
In this project, we analyze how healthcare providers, parents and children orient to uncertainty or uncertain aspects in their interactions. We make video-recordings of clinical consultations and multidisciplinary meetings in two Dutch hospitals. The recordings are transcribed and analyzed with conversation analysis. This provides a detailed insight into how participants give meaning to their own and each other’s actions. The findings of the conversation analytic studies will eventually be integrated in recommendations and/or training for clinical practice.
*With transgender care, we refer to (psychological and medical) care for children with gender incongruence, which is the experience of a mismatch between birth-assigned sex and experienced gender.
**With DSD/intersex care, we refer to (psychological and medical) care for children with variations in sex development that differ from what is medically and societally understood by typical ‘male’ or ‘female’ sex development.
UNITE project
This research is part of the multidisciplinary UNITE project on uncertainty in pediatric transgender and DSD/intersex care.
