Resilience, Resistance, and Gender Identity Development Among Transgender and Gender Expansive Former Foster Youths: A Grounded Theory Approach

Background and Purpose: Transgender and gender expansive (TGE) youth are highly represented in foster care in the U.S. Extant literature is sparse and often centers their adversities. Though TGE young people do not have full control over their experiences within foster care, they cultivate internal strengths and external resources (resilience) that bolster them in care. While foster care researchers and practitioners can and should want to support the survival of foster youths, the concept of resilience has come under criticism more recently. Resistance, or working to challenge and upend oppressive social relations, has been proposed as a means of expanding what resilience in youths’ lives means and to shift toward understanding joy, pleasure, and authenticity as resilience.

This study aimed (1) to explore resilience and resistance in the lives of TGE former foster youths; (2) understand whether and how these experiences influence gender identity development; and (3) to explore the perspectives of caseworkers who have worked with TGE foster youths.

Methods: This grounded theory study used a constructivist approach. Through purposive and snowball sampling, semi-structured, in-depth interview data were collected between March and October 2024 from seven TGE former foster youths (18 to 26; all queer, bisexual, or pansexual; six people of color; four with a disability) and 19 caseworkers (18 white, cisgender, heterosexual, women; one gay, trans man; working in ten counties across a midwestern state) who have worked with TGE youth in care. This researcher independently conducted open coding of de-identified transcripts to uncover preliminary themes. A coding schematic was created for focused coding, and emergent themes were continually compared and defined. Methodological and analytic rigor were enhanced through self-reflexivity processes and analytic memo-writing.

Results: Despite generally positive views of resilience, both youth and caseworkers described the downsides for youth, including difficulties asking for help. Both youth and caseworkers noted the ways that acts of resistance, particularly authenticity, bolstered resilience. Caseworkers described external signs of resistance, such as youth directly correcting people who misgender them, whereas TGE youth described resisting gendered expectations internally through refusing to accept others’ ideas of their gender. TGE youth and caseworkers described the critical role of supportive people, including foster caregivers, group home staff, family members, and friends. However, caseworkers noted the misconceptions regarding gender fluidity and the gender development process that significantly impacted TGE youth; these misconceptions occurred most often with foster caregivers and child welfare workers. This confusion impacted relationships between TGE youths and their caregivers and caseworkers.

Conclusions and Implications: Findings highlight the key role of supportive relationships with adults and peers to help TGE foster youths build their resilience, encourage their resistance, and create a secure sense of their gendered identity. However, these relationships, especially with adults, are hindered by misconceptions of gender and identity development. Such misconceptions must be addressed as part of providing an environment in which TGE foster youths can not only survive but develop a confidence in themselves and their identities. Implications for practice and policy changes, as well as future research, will be discussed.