The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #49833

Megan Curran, BA, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, Life Sciences Building, East Lansing, MI 48824, 000-000-0000, megan_pudge@yahoo.com, Cheryl Chase, SB, Intersex Society of North America, PO Box 301, Petaluma, CA 95407, and Nofirstname Scout, ABD, The Fenway Institute, Fenway Community Health, 7 Haviland St., Boston, MA 02115.

Purpose: The birth of an intersex child can be an emotionally stressful event for parents and the later coping with this condition can create stress for the child as well. Mental health and social supports help alleviate this burden. To assess the extent to which these were available, a short email survey on this topic was developed and sent to the listed contact person for each of the medical sites most likely to see intersex children, pediatric endocrinology fellowship programs.

Findings: Of the twenty-seven programs that responded, 39% did not have a mental health specialist on their team. Of those that did, the most common type of specialist was a psychologist (56%), followed by psychiatrist (38%), and social workers (31%). Overall, 87% of the respondents reported providing psychological support when needed, 13% did not. Thirty-eight percent of respondents said they provide no type of social support. Of the ones that did, it was most common to introduce parents to other families (46%), then to internet resources (31%), then equally to a national organization or provide unspecified social support (both 23%). When asked if respondents were able to refer adult intersex patients to qualified mental health specialists, 42% could not.

Discussion: Many programs offer some nature of mental health support to new parents of an intersex child, but there are questions about how well this is integrated into the team management of the event. Part of the problem may be lack of training programs for professionals who wish to specialize in this area. On the other hand, many parents are not linked with helpful social support resources.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the social and mental health stressors that can occur with the birth of an intesex child.
• Describe the type of mental health and social support options that might benefit parents and later, the growing intersex children.
• Assess the current integration of these mental health and social support options into pediatric endocrinology training programs nationwide.
• List strategies to improve parents and childen's access to needed mental health and social support options.

Keywords: Mental Health, Access to Care

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.