High Burden of Mental Health Problems, Substance Use, Violence, and Related Psychosocial Factors in Transgender, Non-Binary, and Gender Diverse Youth and Young Adults

Abstract

Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people are disproportionately impacted by various health issues and associated risk factors, but little is known about differences in these outcomes between gender identities within the TGD population. This study characterized the health of a diverse sample of TGD youth and young adults. Data were taken from the baseline visit of two longitudinal studies in the Chicago area, RADAR (N = 1,079, M age = 20.8 years) and FAB 400 (N = 488, M age = 19.57 years), which are cohorts of young sexual and gender minorities assigned male at birth (AMAB) and assigned female at birth (AFAB), respectively. There was a combined sample of 214 TGD (128 AFAB, 86 AMAB) individuals across cohorts. We examined differences between gender identities in self-reported health and related psychosocial variables, and compared TGD youth and their cisgender sexual minority peers from their cohort of origin on all variables. Among TGD youth, we found high rates of depression and suicidality (ideation, plan, attempt), violence (trauma, victimization, childhood sexual abuse), and substance use (cigarette, alcohol, illicit drug use). With the exception of depression, transgender women and non-binary AMAB youth reported worse health outcomes than transgender men and non-binary AFAB youth. Nonbinary AMAB youth reported the highest rates of certain outcomes, including traumatic Terms of use and reuse: academic research for non-commercial purposes, see here for full terms. https://www.springer.com/aamterms-v1

Gender Norms, Roles and Relations and Cannabis-Use Patterns: A Scoping Review

“…There is a general lack of research on gender norms, roles, relations and cannabis use among non-heterosexual people and people with diverse gender identities. Yet trans and gender-diverse youth report high rates of substance use, mental health issues and violence and trauma, and transgender women and non-binary assigned male at birth youth tend to report greater substance use [62]. Similarly, among young adults, high rates of tobacco use have been reported among both sexual minority females and gender minorities [63].…”

Addressing the Disproportionate Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Sexual and Gender Minority Populations in the United States: Actions Toward Equity

“…18 Certain minority stressors, including a lack of social supports, may be exacerbated due to the pandemic, especially as a result of social distancing, causing an even higher burden of poor mental health in this population. In combination, higher rates of mental and behavioral health concerns and domestic violence affecting SGM people, 13,19,20 the psychological challenges of social isolation, and the traumatic nature of exposure to the COVID-19 pandemic create a potentially devastating constellation of risk for SGM populations. 6,9 Health care systems are, furthermore, ill-equipped to combat these inequalities.…”

Differential Experiences of Mental Health among Trans/Gender Diverse Adults in Michigan

“…Drawing on nationally-representative US data, Perez-Brumer et al [ 68 ] found that trans youth had almost three times the odds of reporting past-year suicidal ideation compared to cis youth. Newcomb et al [ 69 ] also examined differences between gender identities in suicidality. The authors found that nonbinary youths assigned male at birth reported the highest rates of suicidal ideation (50.0%), compared to nonbinary youths assigned female at birth (31.7%), as well as trans men (35.7%), or trans women (13.8%) [ 69 ].…”

“…Newcomb et al [ 69 ] also examined differences between gender identities in suicidality. The authors found that nonbinary youths assigned male at birth reported the highest rates of suicidal ideation (50.0%), compared to nonbinary youths assigned female at birth (31.7%), as well as trans men (35.7%), or trans women (13.8%) [ 69 ].…”