Embedded Files
This research project aims to develop theoretical frameworks that elucidate TNB individuals' experiences with parental relational trauma, with four specific goals 1) to construct a grounded theory on TNB people’s experiences of parental harm and its impact on intra- and interpersonal functioning; 2) to assess the intersectional impact of relational trauma on TNB individuals' resilience against minority stress; 3) to identify sources and processes of healing from relational trauma and post-traumatic growth; and 4) to establish methodological guidelines for conducting ethically sound and emotionally safe trauma research within the TNB population.
Open Access paper
Transness is Our Salve: Trans People's Experiences of Healing From Parental Trauma
See the paper here
Community Zine from the Study
Transness is Our Salve: Trans People's Experiences of Healing From Parental Trauma
See the zine here
A full website with more about the study, arts created from the study, and resources
Relevant Research Fundings
2023 – 2025
Roy Scrivner Memorial Research Grant ($9,000)
American Psychological Foundation’s (APF)
Research Title: Transgender and Nonbinary People's Experience of Relational Trauma with Parental Figures
Role: Principal Investigator
2023 – 2025
Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment Seed Grant ($4,000)
Ira and Ineva Reilly Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment
Research Title: Transgender and Nonbinary People's Experience of Relational Trauma with Parental Figures
Role: Principal Investigator
Relevant Publications
Lee, J., Barr, S. M., Gloria, A., Roberts, T., Budge, S. (2026). Transness is our salve: How Trans identity facilitates healing from relational trauma with parental figures. Special Issue: Trauma and Posttraumatic Stress among 2SLGBTQIA+ Individuals and Communities, Journal of Traumatic Stress. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.70044
Lee, J., Barr, S. M. (In progress). Research as a site of healing: Healing-centered research praxis for community-centered trauma research with transgender and nonbinary communities. Invited submission to the Counseling Psychologist special issue, “Critical Perspectives on Counseling Psychology Research: Unlearning Status Quo Research to Increase Real World Relevance and Impact”
Lee, J., Barr, S. M, Roberts, T. (in progress). Using grounded theory in a grounded theory way.
Lee, J., Barr, S. M., Alberta. G., Budge. S. (in progress). We broke the cycle: How transgender and nonbinary people facilitate intergenerational trauma healing and family repair.
Lee, J., Barr, S. M., Alberta. G., Budge. S. (in progress). Understanding types of parental harm among transgender and nonbinary people experience relational trauma with parental figures.
Lee, J., Barr, S. M., Alberta. G., Budge. S. (in progress). Interpersonal and intrapersonal impacts of relational trauma with parental figures among transgender and nonbinary people.
Lee, J., Barr, S. M., Alberta. G., Budge. S. (in progress). Chosen boundaries: The when, how, and impact of distancing from parental figures among transgender and nonbinary people.
Presentations/Invited Talks
Lee, J., & Barr, S. M. (2026, August 25). Transness is our salve: Narratives of healing from parental trauma among trans and non-binary people. Invited virtual lecture, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Brazil. [Simultaneous Portuguese translation.]
Lee, J., Barr, S. (2023, August). Parental Relational Trauma in Transgender and Nonbinary People: Exploring Intersection with Minority Stress, Healing, and Post-Traumatic Growth. Presented as a symposium session at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, Washington D.C.
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