Currently, there is a lack of nationwide data examining the mental health of transgender and nonbinary youth. Furthermore, relatively little is known about how the mental health of transgender and nonbinary youth compares to that of their cisgender lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, and questioning peers or differences within subgroups of transgender and nonbinary youth. The goal of the present study was to better understand the mental health of transgender and nonbinary youth. Methods: We analyzed responses from a national quantitative cross-sectional survey of more than 25,000 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning youth, aged between 13 and 24 years, in the U.S. Results: Transgender and nonbinary youth were at increased risk of experiencing depressed mood, seriously considering suicide, and attempting suicide compared with cisgender lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, and questioning youth. Controlling for sexual orientationebased or gender identity ebased experiences of perceived discrimination and physical threats or harm reduced the disparities but did not fully account for them. Within-group analyses highlighted particularly increased risk for negative mental health outcomes among transgender males and nonbinary youth assigned female at birth. Conclusions: Findings point to the need to directly address the needs of transgender and nonbinary youth in prevention and intervention programs and to advance policies that reduce discrimination and victimization based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
This study explored factors that may be associated with early initiation of sexual activity among adolescents. Using the cumulative risk model, we hypothesized that as exposure to risk factors increases, so does the likelihood of early sexual debut. A sample of 273 (53% girls, 90% European American) adolescents was followed longitudinally from age 13 to 15. The results indicate that, for girls, increased television viewing, low self-esteem, poor parental relationships, living in a non-intact household, higher levels of externalizing behavior (ADHD symptomology), low academic achievement, and parents with low education levels were associated with earlier sexual debut. For boys, advanced pubertal development, increased television viewing, higher rates of externalizing behaviors (ADHD and ODD symptoms), and poor parental relationships were associated with earlier sexual debut. As hypothesized, predictive power increases with the accumulation of these risks; girls are 1.56 times more likely to become sexually active with an increase of only one risk and boys are 1.90 times more likely.
There are no large-scale studies examining mental health among transgender and nonbinary youth who receive gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT). The purpose of this study is to examine associations among access to GAHT with depression, thoughts of suicide, and attempted suicide among a large sample of transgender and nonbinary youth. Methods: Data were collected as part of a 2020 survey of 34,759 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning youth aged 13e24, including 11,914 transgender or nonbinary youth. Adjusted logistic regression assessed whether receipt of GAHT was associated with lower levels of depression, thoughts of suicide, and attempted suicide among those who wanted to receive GAHT. Results: Half of transgender and nonbinary youth said they were not using GAHT but would like to, 36% were not interested in receiving GAHT, and 14% were receiving GAHT. Parent support for their child's gender identity had a strong relationship with receipt of GAHT, with nearly 80% of those who received GAHT reporting they had at least one parent who supported their gender identity. Use of GAHT was associated with lower odds of recent depression (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] ¼ .73, p < .001) and seriously considering suicide (aOR ¼ .74, p < .001) compared to those who wanted GAHT but did not receive it. For youth under age 18, GAHT was associated with lower odds of recent depression (aOR ¼ .61, p < .01) and of a past-year suicide attempt (aOR ¼ .62, p < .05). Conclusions: Findings support a relationship between access to GAHT and lower rates of depression and suicidality among transgender and nonbinary youth.
Exposure to minority stress is the primary mechanism through which lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth experience a greater risk for suicide. The current study examines the association of LGBTQ‐based cumulative minority stress with suicide risk using online survey data collected from 39,126 LGBTQ youth ages 13–24 in the United States. Youth who reported four types of minority stress had nearly 12 times greater odds of attempting suicide compared to those who reported none. Transgender and nonbinary youth and American Indian/Alaskan Native youth had higher odds of reporting three or more minority stress experiences. The strong association of cumulative risk with attempted suicide and disproportionate exposure among marginalized members of the LGBTQ community highlight the need for suicide prevention to prioritize those at greatest risk and for research examining LGBTQ suicide risk to employ cumulative risk models.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2025 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.