JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Parents play a pivotal role in supporting transgender and gender diverse (TGD) children and adolescents. Parents’ affirmation of their children’s gender identity significantly influences their mental health outcomes, reducing anxiety, depression, and suicidality in this vulnerable population.

Objective:

Addressing the urgent need for effective, scalable interventions, this study evaluates a novel digital approach: short, animated storytelling (SAS) videos. We hypothesized that our 2.5min animated video intervention would reduce anti-trans stigma, or transphobia, and improve attitudes toward gender diverse children among US parents, by providing insight into the lived experiences of TGD youth.

Methods:

We recruited 1,267 US parents, through the Prolific Academic online research platform, and randomized them into SAS video intervention or control groups. We measured transphobia using the Transgender Stigma Scale (TSS), and attitudes towards transgender children using the Gender Thermometer, before and after watching the video. We compared outcomes between the two groups using 2X3 Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Both groups were invited to return 30 days later to complete the measures again, before being offered post-trial access to the intervention video, which portrayed an authentic conversation between a mother and her transgender child.

Results:

Single exposure to a short, animated story video significantly reduced transphobia and improved attitudes towards transgender children among US parents, immediately post-intervention. Effect sizes (Cohen’s d) indicated small to moderate immediate changes in response to the 2.5min video, though the effect was no longer observed at the 30-day follow-up.

Conclusions:

Short, animated storytelling is a novel digital approach with the potential to promote parental support and affirmation of transgender children, by offering authentic insights into their lived experiences. Digital approaches that support empathy and acceptance could foster a more inclusive society, in which every child can flourish. Clinical Trial: The study was registered (#159248) with AsPredicted.org, a clinical trial registry created in 2015 by the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.