Background: Understanding the magnitude of mental health problems, particularly life-threatening ones, experienced by transgender and/or gender nonconforming (TGNC) youth can lead to improved management of these conditions.

Methods: Electronic medical records were used to identify a cohort of 588 transfeminine and 745 transmasculine children (3-9 years old) and adolescents (10-17 years old) enrolled in integrated health care systems in California and Georgia. Ten male and 10 female referent cisgender enrollees were matched to each TGNC individual on year of birth, race and/or ethnicity, study site, and membership year of the index date (first evidence of gender nonconforming status). Prevalence ratios were calculated by dividing the proportion of TGNC individuals with a specific mental health diagnosis or diagnostic category by the corresponding proportion in each reference group by transfeminine and/or transmasculine status, age group, and time period before the index date.

Results: Common diagnoses for children and adolescents were attention deficit disorders (transfeminine 15%; transmasculine 16%) and depressive disorders (transfeminine 49%; transmasculine 62%), respectively. For all diagnostic categories, prevalence was severalfold higher among TGNC youth than in matched reference groups. Prevalence ratios (95% confidence intervals [CIs]) for history of self-inflicted injury in adolescents 6 months before the index date ranged from 18 (95% CI 4.4-82) to 144 (95% CI 36-1248). The corresponding range for suicidal ideation was 25 (95% CI 14-45) to 54 (95% CI 18-218).

Conclusions: TGNC youth may present with mental health conditions requiring immediate evaluation and implementation of clinical, social, and educational gender identity support measures.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5914494PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1542/peds.2017-3845DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

mental health
16
gender nonconforming
12
tgnc youth
12
prevalence ratios
8
disorders transfeminine
8
tgnc
5
95%
5
mental
4
health transgender
4
gender
4

Similar Publications

Objective: To evaluate whether there is an association between maternal mental health, purchase of psychotropic drugs, socioeconomic status and major congenital anomalies in offspring.

Methods: A register-based cohort study of 6189 Finnish primiparous women who had a singleton delivery between 2009 and 2015. Data on pregnancy and delivery outcomes, psychiatric diagnosis, prescription drug purchases and offspring congenital anomalies were obtained from Finnish national registers.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Sedentary lifestyles and prolonged physical inactivity are often linked to poor mental and physical health as well as an increased risk of a number of chronic illnesses, including cancer, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular problems. Metabolic Syndrome (MetS), as the new disease, has emerged as the world's leading cause of illness. Despite having its roots in the West, this issue has now completely globalized due to the development of the Western way of life throughout the world.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Young childbearing sexual minority (SM) people are more likely to use cannabis and to have an unintended pregnancy than their heterosexual peers; however, little is known about their perceptions and experiences of peripartum cannabis use. This qualitative study explores the relationships young pregnant and parenting SM people have with cannabis, as well as their feelings and opinions about prenatal cannabis use.

Method: Participants who identified as SM from baseline surveys of the YoungMoms study were recruited for semi-structured qualitative interviews (n = 13).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: This study examined whether being scheduled in a screening clinic versus scheduled directly with a long-term provider to conduct a mental health intake (MHI) is associated with engagement in child psychiatry services in New England, USA.

Method: We used electronic medical record data from one safety-net hospital serving a predominantly low-income and minoritised population. The study sample included 815 youths aged 0 to 25 years, referred or scheduled for a MHI between 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2016.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Adolescence is marked by a high prevalence of mental health concerns, with approximately 14% of young individuals receiving a diagnosis of a mental illness disorder. This figure is projected to rise in the future. However, barriers such as limited access to mental health services, a shortage of mental health professionals, and the enduring stigma surrounding mental health prevent many adolescents from seeking help, potentially resulting in long-term negative outcomes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!