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Cultural Considerations in the United States

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Pediatric Gender Identity

Abstract

Gender identity is a term that eludes research precision and represents a wide range of experiences and definitions. Similarly, gender-diverse youth are increasingly racially and ethnically diverse and hold an abundance of intersectional identities. As research attempts to clarify these groups’ unique vulnerabilities and resilience, some trends are clear. For both clinician and patient, approach of topics such as race may be fraught for a variety of reasons and require clinical vigilance and humility. With their potential for support and rejection, exploration of family, spirituality, and other emotionally salient areas of identity may be useful in appraising risk-mitigating influences of youths’ mental and physical health. Cultivation of a clinical style and space that keeps privacy and safety at its core, emphasizes gender-affirming communication, and acknowledges rejection sensitivity may serve as a fruitful frame for exploring these visible and invisible identities within gender in service of this diverse population.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Cecil R. Webster Jr.

  2. Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Cambridge Health Alliance, Cambridge, MA, USA

    Cynthia J. Telingator

Authors
  1. Cecil R. Webster Jr.
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  2. Cynthia J. Telingator
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Cecil R. Webster Jr. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA

    Michelle Forcier

  2. Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA

    Gerrit Van Schalkwyk

  3. Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Jack L. Turban

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Webster, C.R., Telingator, C.J. (2020). Cultural Considerations in the United States. In: Forcier, M., Van Schalkwyk, G., Turban, J. (eds) Pediatric Gender Identity. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38909-3_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38909-3_18

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-38908-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-38909-3

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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