Parenthood Desires and Intentions Among Italian Transgender Adults

Research has shown that many individuals engaged in gender affirmation still wish to become parents despite personal, psychosocial, and structural barriers. The present study adopted an intersectional perspective focusing on transgender and parental identities and examined the parenthood desires and intentions of a sample of transgender individuals. Participants completed measures evaluating their desire and the strength of their desire to have children, intentions and reflections on parenthood, as well as dyadic adjustment and social support. The sample included 103 individuals, of whom 35.2% identified as transgender women and 64.8% as transgender men, with a mean age of 30.31 years. Overall, 63.1% of participants expressed a desire to become parents, and 53.4% reported an intention to have children. Higher dyadic adjustment and younger age emerged as the only significant predictors of both the desire and the intention to become parents. The findings highlight the central role of sociodemographic factors, such as age and relational status, together with psychosocial factors, such as dyadic adjustment, in shaping parenthood desires and intentions. These results underscore the need to train healthcare professionals to better support transgender individuals and to provide clear guidance on issues related to transgender parenting