Ethical Issues When Working with Gender Diverse Children and Adolescents (1 CE)

Number of Credits: 1

This course is for:  Clinical psychologists, Counselors, and LMFTs.

Course By: Michael Parent, PhD

Content By: Wren, B. (2019). Ethical issues arising in the provision of medical interventions for gender diverse children and adolescents. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 24, 203-222. DOI: 10.1177/1359104518822694

Course Description: Interpretations of supporting and acting in the best interests of gender diverse children and adolescents may lead to ethical conflicts among parties involved in decision-making and medical services. The author reviews the interweaving of science and ethics as it applies to working with gender diverse children and adolescents. The author reviews the social context of treating gender diverse children and adolescents, power and voice of gender diverse people, and current research findings. The author also addresses ethical issues pertaining to authorizing interventions for gender diverse youth. Future research may explore how clinicians make decisions with regard to the care of gender diverse children and adolescents.

Learning Objectives:

1. Define naturalized bioethics
2. List and define the three major contexts for working with gender diverse children and adolescents outlined in the paper
3. Identify the three elements of authorizing interventions

Course Outline:

1. Read and understand Ethical issues arising in the provision of medical interventions for gender diverse children and adolescents.
2. Review the Course Description and Learning Objectives.
3. Review the finding of the study with regard to ethical decision-making in working with gender diverse children and adolescents.
4. Complete the post-test questions. Recall that answers should be based on the referenced article.
5. Return to the referenced article for any missed questions and/or to understand ethical decision-making in working with gender diverse children and adolescents.

Implicit biases incorporate an association that occurs outside of conscious awareness that may resultantly lead to a negative patient evaluation derived from irrelevant characteristics; i.e. gender and/or race. A systematic review of the literature was conducted. Thirty-five studies identified the existence of implicit bias in healthcare professionals; all correlational studies evidenced a significant positive relationship between implicit bias levels and lower quality of care (FitzGerald & Hurst, 2017). Continued research in health care settings, combined with greater method homogeneity, should be employed to examine the occurrence and prevalence of implicit biases in healthcare settings as a strategic approach for mitigating related disparities (FitzGerald & Hurst, 2017).

Reference

FitzGerald, C., Hurst, S. (2017). Implicit bias in healthcare professionals: a systematic review. BMC Med Ethics 18, 19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-017-0179-8

Approvals: