Positive outcomes for supported, socially transitioned transgender children

1. Socially transitioned transgender children who were supported by their families had rates of depression consistent with the general population; they also displayed anxiety levels only slightly above the population average.

2. Compared to sibling and age-and-gender-matched controls, socially transitioned and supported transgender children had no difference in depression symptoms and slightly higher levels of anxiety symptoms.

Evidence Rating Level: 2 (Good)

Study Rundown: Transgender issues are receiving ever-increasing levels of media attention. This has led to debate on whether or not the parents of young transgender children should support their child’s preferred, rather than natal, gender identity. Most studies about the mental health of transgender children have found higher levels of internalizing psychopathology, such as anxiety and depression, among this population. However, no large-scale studies have considered the mental health implications of transgender children who have the full support of their families and have socially transitioned. That is, they appear, act, and are addressed as the gender they feel, rather than their natal gender. This is the first study to consider this particular group of children. Results of parental surveys indicate levels of depression among this population of children comparable to those of the national population. Symptoms of anxiety were only slightly higher than that of the general population, but were nowhere near clinical levels. These children were also compared to sibling and age-and-gender-matched control groups. Similarly, levels of depression were not significantly different from those of control groups, while anxiety symptoms were slightly, but statistically significantly, increased. Although limited by parental-based data collection methods, these results suggest that familial support may lead to less psychological pathology among transgender children.

Click to read the study published today in Pediatrics

Relevant Reading: Suicidal ideation among patients with gender identity disorder

In-Depth [case-control study]: This study included a national sample of 73 prepubescent transgender children ages 3 to 12 years (mean age = 7.7 years) as part of the TransYouth Project, an American and Canadian study of transgender children’s development. Subjects were transgender children who, with familial support, were living as what they felt was their appropriate, rather than natal, gender. Parents reported their children’s symptoms of anxiety and depression using parental proxy short forms, and nationally normed t-scores were calculated. Compared to the scale’s midpoint of 50, results indicated that supported, socially transitioned transgender children had comparable symptoms of depression, with an average score of 50.1 (P = .883). Compared to the population average, this group did have significantly higher rates of anxiety ( M = 54.2, P < .001), although the mean symptoms remained below the preclinical range. This group was compared to a control group of 49 siblings (mean age = 8.3 years), as well as 83 age-and-gender-matched controls with no history of cross-gender behavior (mean age = 7.8 years). No significant differences were found between group or sex in the context of depression symptoms (P = .320 and .498, respectively), while a marginally significant effect of group was found for anxiety symptoms (P = .057).

Image: PD

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