Understanding Family Support for Transgender Youth: Impact of Support on Psychosocial Functioning.

PURPOSE: This study investigated the association between positive and negative family support and psychosocial outcomes among transgender and gender diverse (TGD) youth. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed using psychological data collected from 175 TGD youth (aged 13-18 years) at time of hormone readiness assessment within a multispecialty gender clinic between May 2021 and February 2023. As part of this assessment process, TGD youth provided responses to a variety of measures, including the Youth Self-Report and the Family Environment Scale. RESULTS: Negative family support scales were more strongly associated with more outcomes than positive support scales. The exclusion and abuse, viewing gender expression as morally wrong, and trying to change gender scales were each associated with significantly higher Youth Self-Report T-scores for internalizing problems (ßs = 6.86, 6.26, 5.56, all p < .01), externalizing problems (ßs = 4.58, 4.42, 4.19, all p < .02), and total problems (ßs = 6.70, 6.45, 5.34, all p < .02). The explicit care and support scale was associated with significantly lower T-scores for externalizing problems (ß = -3.54 p = .02) and total problems (ß = -3.35, p = .04). Overall support was also associated with higher T-scores in internalizing problems (b = -2.90, p = .02), externalizing problems (ß = -2.40, p = .03), and total problems (ß = -2.79, p = .03). DISCUSSION: Family support plays a critical role in the psychosocial wellbeing of TGD youth. TGD youth reporting positive family support reported fewer mental health concerns, less experiences of nonaffirmation, and lower levels of internalized transphobia. TGD youth reporting negative family support were found to have an increased risk of suicidal ideation.

Association of Pubertal Blockade at Tanner 2/3 With Psychosocial Benefits in Transgender and Gender Diverse Youth at Hormone Readiness Assessment.

PURPOSE: Compare psychosocial function at the time of hormone readiness assessment for transgender and gender diverse (TGD) youth who received pubertal blockade to prevent a nonaffirming puberty with those who did not. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study of psychological assessment data from hormone readiness evaluations conducted at a multispecialty gender clinic. Participants include all TGD youth between the ages of 13 and 17 assessed for hormone readiness between 2017 and 2021. RESULTS: Our cohort consisted of 438 TGD youth, 40 who were prescribed pubertal blockade at Tanner stage 2 or 3, and 398 who had not. The blocker population was younger, more likely to be assigned male and affirming a female identity, and had a different racial/ethnic identity distribution. Having puberty blocked was associated with significantly lower T-scores on the Youth Self Report for internalizing problems (ß = -7.4, p < .001), anxiety problems (ß = -4.6, p = .003), depressive problems (ß = -6.5, p < .001), stress problems (ß = -4.0, p = .01), and total problems (ß = -4.9, p = .003). The blocker population was also significantly less likely to report any suicidal thoughts (odds ratio = 0.38, p = .05). With the exception of increased risk of suicidal thoughts, these associations remained significant when adjusted for gender. DISCUSSION: At the time of hormone readiness evaluation, TGD youth who received pubertal blockade at Tanner 2 or 3 were found to have less anxiety, depression, stress, total problems, internalizing difficulties, and suicidal ideation than TGD peers who had been through more of a nonaffirming puberty.

Gender-Affirming Mental Health Care for Transgender and Gender Diverse Youth on Pediatric Inpatient Psychiatry Units.

Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) youth, individuals whose gender identity is different from the sex that was assigned at birth, report higher rates of mental health and emotional challenges and are approximately twice as likely to access psychiatric inpatient services compared with cisgender peers.1 Existing research has suggested that the minority stress that TGD youth face from having to navigate transphobic cultural contexts and systems (eg, unsupportive parents/caregivers, school staff, peers) may play a key factor in mental health disparities, such as increased risk of depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and nonsuicidal self-harm.1,2 These higher rates of mental health challenges among TGD youth offer an explanation as to why these youth access inpatient services significantly more frequently than cisgender peers. Research has found that TGD youth often experience discrimination during psychiatric inpatient admissions (eg, being misgendered during admission intake, facing stigmatization for an evolving gender identity, and receiving care from staff who have not been trained to provide gender-affirming care),3 despite professional organizations, such as the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, underscoring the importance of TGD youth receiving psychiatric care that is inclusive and affirming.4 Given that the inpatient setting offers a unique opportunity to facilitate positive and affirming changes for TGD youth, it is essential for providers to have a strong understanding of what affirmative care looks like within this context to best support this vulnerable patient population and reduce experiences of discrimination.

Disordered eating and considerations for the transgender community: a review of the literature and clinical guidance for assessment and treatment.

BACKGROUND: It has been well established that individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer are at increased risk for mental health pathology, including eating disorders/disordered eating behaviors (ED/DEB). However, less is understood about the unique experiences of transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people who struggle with ED/DEB. AIMS: The purpose of this literature review is to examine the literature regarding the unique risk factors for TGD individuals who experience ED/DEB through a lens informed by the minority stress model. Additionally, guidance around the assessment and clinical management of eating disorders for TGD individuals will be presented. RESULTS: TGD people are at increased risk for developing ED/DEB due to a number of factors including: gender dysphoria, minority stress, the desire to pass, and barriers to gender affirming care. CONCLUSION: While guidance around assessment and treatment of ED/DEB for TGD individuals is still limited, adhering to a gender affirmative care model is essential.

People who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) are more likely to have mental health difficulties, including eating disorders/disordered eating behaviors (ED/DEB). Much of the existing literature has focused on LGBTQ populations and not on the unique experiences of transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people. This literature review seeks to examine the unique risk factors for TGD people who experience ED/DEB. The minority stress model is used to better understand these risk factors, which include gender dysphoria, minority stress, the desire to pass, and barriers to gender affirming care. Research offering guidance for assessing and treating ED/DEB with TGD people is still limited but it is clear that a gender affirmative care model provides robust support for this population.

Team Effort: A Call for Mental Health Clinicians to Support Sports Access for Transgender and Gender Diverse Youth.

There has been an increase in the number of youth in the United States who identify as transgender and/or as nonbinary, which generally refers to people whose gender identity does not align with the one associated with their assigned sex at birth. Unfortunately, transgender and gender diverse (TGD) youth have higher rates of depression, suicidality, self-harm, and disordered eating compared to cisgender peers.1 It is critical to emphasize, however, that such health disparities are reflective of TGD people having to simultaneously navigate transphobic, homophobic, and racist social contexts; manage gender dysphoria, which is the distress resulting from an incongruence between gender identity and assigned sex at birth; and endure an onslaught of anti-transgender legislation that attacks the rights and bodies of TGD people. Given that TGD youth have had alarmingly high rates of suicide for the past decade, it is imperative that health care providers identify and increase access to opportunities and activities that promote positive socioemotional development to mitigate such risk. One resource that has the potential to boost mental health outcomes for this community is physical activity and sports (PA/S).