- Many participants described experiences of intended misrecognition and disapproval by other people, including family members and peers. 
- Some ways of misrecognition could be more subtle. Some participants described, for example, a feeling of being an ‘object of curiosity’ if friends and family asked too many questions. 
- Misrecognition created a sense of not feeling whole, often accompanied by self-hate. 
- For some youth, misrecognition can also hinder further exploration about who they are. 

Sub-theme: Being Misrecognized by Others

- Seeing gender minority people and being exposed to gender diversity was extremely important to the youth because it helped them in the process of understanding their own gender identity. 
- The recognition that followed exposure to gender diversity enabled exploration of gender for some youth. 
- Being recognized by others in the same way that the youth experienced themselves created a sense of feeling whole and authentic. For some youth, finding a community that mirrored their internal self and offered more flexible gender identities contributed further to a sense of feeling whole. 
- Forming relationships with others, and observing how they are perceived by them, helped gender minority youth clarify gender identity.

Sub-theme: Recognition by Others

- The importance of other people and the relational dynamic emerged as 
central to understanding how subjective experiences of gender dysphoria develop and unfold. 

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- Highlighting of subjective experience in the new diagnoses – gender dysphoria and gender incongruence – raises questions regarding how we understand the concept of gender dysphoria. 
- Since subjective experiences represent the clinical target of medical treatment, it seems to be especially important to gain further knowledge about the 
nature of gender dysphoria to improve future treatment. 

Subjective Experiences of Gender Dysphoria

Jessen, R. S., Haraldsen, I., & Stänicke, E. (2021). Navigating in the dark: Meta-synthesis of subjective experiences of gender dysphoria amongst transgender and gender non-conforming youth. Social Science & Medicine, 281, 114094. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114094

Navigating in the Dark: Meta-Synthesis of Subjective Experiences of Gender Dysphoria Amongst Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Youth

The gradual process of gaining insight into one’s gender identity was described as navigation in the dark, from the first feelings of being different in childhood, to the gradually increasing identification as a gender minority.

Theme: Gender Dysphoria as Navigation in the Dark 

Theme: Relating with Others 

The body emerged as an important contributing factor to the development and unfolding of subjective experiences of gender dysphoria.

Theme: Body 

- Subjective experiences of gender dysphoria were linked to sexuality for some youth 
because the increasing sexual exploration associated with adolescence and young adulthood created a confusing intersection between gender and sexuality. 
- Forming sexual relations with other people could both bring gender to the surface and alleviate subjective experiences of gender dysphoria. 

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