Gender Dysphoria in children: integrative literature review and management recommendations in Primary Health Care

Abstract

Introduction: Gender dysphoria in children is a subject rarely addressed in clinical training, despite the increased interest of families on gender issues. Objective: Achieve an integrative review of papers about Gender Dysphoria in children and identify recommendations for management in Primary Health Care. Methods: Integrative literature review using MeSH terms in the Pubmed, Medline, Lilacs and Scielo databases for articles published between 2008 and 2018 that used transgender children in their analyzes. Results: From the 2,488 articles identified by the search key, 12 articles were selected. Most of them are from specialized centers for the care of transgender children in four countries. The health professional should carry out anamnesis directed to the child’s behavioral issues at home and at school, family dynamics, cultural context, family history of non-compliance of gender, social life of the child and child safety. Attention should be paid to psychosocial assessment appropriate to the child’s age. It is up to the Primary Health Care team to clarify the main doubts of the families, to carry out the diagnostic suspicion and to refer to the specialized center for the care of the transgender children of their state. Conclusion: It is up to the Primary Health Care team to provide a welcoming and non-discriminatory environment so these families can be properly evaluated and conducted.