The Parent Support Program: Development and Acceptability of an Online Intervention Aimed at Increasing Supportive Behaviors Among Parents of Trans Youth

Parental support plays a vital role in protecting trans youth from mental health risks including depression, anxiety, substance use, and suicide. This study examined the acceptability of the Parent Support Program, an online intervention aimed at increasing transgender affirming behaviors. The Parent Support Program includes three modules with psychoeducational text, affirming images, educational videos, videos of parents and trans youth, writing activities, and interactive quizzes. The program content and structure were developed based on psychological theories of behavior change and relevant research. Feedback was collected from two focus groups with parents of transgender youth and experts in transgender mental health. This pilot study found that the intervention was highly acceptable and provided useful information on how to improve the intervention in preparation for a larger efficacy study. Improvements include making the intervention more tailored to the participant and modifying writing exercises. Implications for future research and practice with this population are discussed.