Summary

This US study asked children who had socially transitioned (living fully as the other gender, with family support) to rate their own depression, anxiety and self-worth. It compared them with matched children and with their brothers and sisters. The trans children reported normal levels of depression and self-worth and slightly more anxiety; parents reported similar results. The authors contrasted this with earlier clinic studies of gender-nonconforming children who had not transitioned, which found much more distress. But families were found through support networks, were mostly well-off and supportive, and children did not need a diagnosis of gender dysphoria. With nothing measured before transition, the study cannot show social transition caused the good mental health. Later careful reviews rate this kind of evidence as low quality.

Key findings

• 63 τρανς παιδιά ηλικίας 9–14 που είχαν κάνει κοινωνική μετάβαση, 63 αντίστοιχα παιδιά και 38 αδέλφια βαθμολόγησαν τη δική τους κατάθλιψη και άγχος με σύντομα ερωτηματολόγια.
• Η κατάθλιψη δεν διέφερε μεταξύ των ομάδων και οι βαθμολογίες των τρανς παιδιών ήταν σύμφωνες με τους μέσους όρους των ΗΠΑ.
• Τα τρανς παιδιά ανέφεραν ελαφρώς περισσότερο άγχος, αν και η διαφορά θα μπορούσε να οφείλεται στην τύχη· οι γονείς ανέφεραν σαφώς περισσότερο άγχος απ' ό,τι στα άλλα παιδιά και πάνω από τους μέσους όρους των ΗΠΑ.
• Η αυτοεκτίμηση μεταξύ 116 τρανς παιδιών ηλικίας 6–14 δεν διέφερε από των άλλων παιδιών ή των αδελφών τους.
• Οι γονείς των τρανς παιδιών ανέφεραν ελαφρώς περισσότερο άγχος από ό,τι τα ίδια τα παιδιά, κάτι που οι συγγραφείς εκλαμβάνουν ως ένδειξη ότι οι γονείς δεν έκρυβαν προβλήματα.
• Οι οικογένειες βρέθηκαν μέσω ομάδων υποστήριξης, καλοκαιρινών κατασκηνώσεων και διαδικτυακών φόρουμ για οικογένειες τρανς παιδιών και ήταν πολύ συχνότερα υψηλού εισοδήματος.
• Οι συγγραφείς λένε ότι δεν μπορούν να συμπεράνουν ότι η κοινωνική μετάβαση προκάλεσε τα αποτελέσματα και ότι προβλήματα μπορεί να εμφανιστούν καθώς τα παιδιά μεγαλώνουν.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Social transitions are increasingly common for transgender children. A social transition involves a child presenting to other people as a member of the "opposite" gender in all contexts (e.g., wearing clothes and using pronouns of that gender). Little is known about the well-being of socially transitioned transgender children. This study examined self-reported depression, anxiety, and self-worth in socially transitioned transgender children compared with 2 control groups: age- and gender-matched controls and siblings of transgender children. METHOD: As part of a longitudinal study (TransYouth Project), children (9-14 years old) and their parents completed measurements of depression and anxiety (n = 63 transgender children, n = 63 controls, n = 38 siblings). Children (6-14 years old; n = 116 transgender children, n = 122 controls, n = 72 siblings) also reported on their self-worth. Mental health and self-worth were compared across groups. RESULTS: Transgender children reported depression and self-worth that did not differ from their matched-control or sibling peers (p = .311), and they reported marginally higher anxiety (p = .076). Compared with national averages, transgender children showed typical rates of depression (p = .290) and marginally higher rates of anxiety (p = .096). Parents similarly reported that their transgender children experienced more anxiety than children in the control groups (p = .002) and rated their transgender children as having equivalent levels of depression (p = .728). CONCLUSION: These findings are in striking contrast to previous work with gender-nonconforming children who had not socially transitioned, which found very high rates of depression and anxiety. These findings lessen concerns from previous work that parents of socially transitioned children could be systematically underreporting mental health problems.

Conclusion

These findings are in striking contrast to previous work with gender-nonconforming children who had not socially transitioned, which found very high rates of depression and anxiety. These findings lessen concerns from previous work that parents of socially transitioned children could be systematically underreporting mental health problems. In the discussion the authors add that they cannot conclude social transition caused the outcomes, that the children may face greater issues as they mature, and that the high-income skew of the sample limits generalisation; they suggest the results provide converging evidence that early family support is associated with positive mental health in transgender children.