Groundbreaking Study Reveals Trans and Nonbinary Parents Employ Unique Protective Strategies for Their Children

A landmark study published in the journal Infant and Child Development has provided compelling evidence that challenges long-standing assumptions about parenting capabilities based on gender identity. Researchers at Penn State University's Department of Human Development and Family Studies conducted the largest study to date examining how parental gender identity affects child development, with results demonstrating that children of transgender and nonbinary parents develop and behave similarly to their peers with cisgender parents .

The research, led by Samantha Tornello, Karl R. Fink and Diane Wendle Fink Early Career Professor and associate professor of human development and family studies at Penn State, examined 138 transgender and nonbinary parents with children between ages one and twelve. The study included trans women, trans men, and nonbinary participants, all over the age of eighteen. Parents completed standardized surveys measuring parenting techniques, parenting stress, personal wellbeing, and their children's emotional and behavioral development .

The findings indicate that children of transgender and nonbinary parents demonstrate typical, sub-clinical levels of both internalizing behaviors—such as anxiety and depression—and externalizing behaviors like aggression. According to Tornello, "Their development is indistinguishable from children in the general population" .

Notably, while transgender and nonbinary parents reported higher levels of depressive symptoms—likely reflecting the impact of identity-based discrimination—their children showed no corresponding increase in behavioral difficulties. This finding diverges from patterns observed in cisgender families, where parental depression typically correlates with higher rates of child depression and behavioral challenges .

Researchers attribute this protective pattern to distinctive parenting practices employed by transgender and nonbinary parents. Study co-author Rachel Riskind, professor emerita of psychology at Guilford College, noted that "transgender and nonbinary parents take a more child-centered approach to gender development and demonstrate flexibility with traditional gender role expectations." Riskind added that these parents "may also be protecting their children from social stressors in ways that deserve systematic study" .

The research aligns with broader findings indicating that parenting techniques and family processes—rather than family structure or parental gender identity—represent the strongest influences on child wellbeing. This evidence directly supports the conclusion that effective parenting quality, stress management, and emotional support systems matter far more than parental demographics .

The study's findings carry significant implications for adoption policies, custody decisions, healthcare access, and family support systems. Tornello emphasized that "children's wellbeing connects to family processes and dynamics—such as managing stress and employing effective parenting techniques—not to parent gender identity." She called on professionals working with families, including healthcare providers, legal experts, and educators, to "use these findings to ground decisions in evidence, rather than assumptions about transgender or nonbinary parents' capabilities" .

The research represents a significant step forward in supporting evidence-based policy decisions that recognize the capabilities and strengths of transgender and nonbinary parents.