Date

4-18-2025

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD)

Chair

Stephanie Phillips

Keywords

COVID-19, social isolation, transgender, adolescents

Disciplines

Psychology

Abstract

The year 2020 brought forth a global pandemic that changed the way human beings went about their daily life. Coinciding at the same point in history, the number of adolescents questioning their gender identity almost doubled. This transcendental phenomenological qualitative study sought to understand the journeys of seven adolescents surviving the stay-at-home mandates put in place by officials attempting to decrease the spread of COVID-19 in a rural midwestern town. These participants identify as a gender that does not align with the gender they were given at birth. Their voices are documented with subject led interviews and attention to expressionistic testimonies. Most of the participants began their social transition at the same age, had previous childhood trauma, and had a positive reaction to social isolation allowing them to explore gender identity without the harsh criticism of the outside world. Through their journey, both author and reader can learn from personal experiences told by this group during a critical stage of human development. More importantly, this study gave a voice to a shared experience during a noteworthy time in history.

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