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PurposeTo compare baseline mental health symptoms and gender affirmation between Black/Latine versus White transgender/nonbinary youth (BLTY vs. WTY) and examine relationships between gender affirmation and mental health symptoms, and whether associations differed by race/ethnicity subgroup.MethodsBaseline data were analyzed from the gender-affirming hormone cohort of the Trans Youth Care United States Study-a 4-clinic site, observational study. Mental health symptoms assessed included depression, suicidality, and anxiety. Gender affirmation measures included the parental acceptance subscale from the perceived Parental Attitudes of Gender Expansiveness Scale-Youth Report; non-affirmation, internalized transphobia, and community connectedness subscales from the Gender Minority Stress and Resilience Measure-Adolescent; and self-reported living full time in affirmed gender. Fisher exact tests and independent sample t tests compared mental health symptoms and gender affirmation between subgroups. Logistic regression analyses evaluated associations between gender affirmation and mental health symptoms. Interaction analyses assessed differences in associations between subgroups.ResultsThe sample (mean age 16 years, range 12-20 years) included 92 BLTY (35%) and 170 WTY (65%). Subgroups had comparable prevalence of depression and anxiety symptoms. WTY had higher prevalence of lifetime suicidality (73% vs. 59%; p = .02). There were no differences in gender affirmation. Among the whole sample, higher parental acceptance decreased odds of depression symptoms. Not living in affirmed gender increased odds of depression symptoms. Higher non-affirmation and internalized transphobia increased odds of depression and anxiety symptoms and suicidality. Associations did not vary by subgroup.DiscussionBLTY and WTY had comparable mental health symptoms. For both subgroups, gender affirmation decreased odds of those symptoms.

PURPOSE: Prior studies have identified a significant relationship between internalized transphobia and poor mental health among transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) adults; however, this relationship has not been extensively examined among youth. Further, little research has sought to explore protective factors, such as identity pride, and their influence on this relationship. We examined the association between internalized transphobia and depression and anxiety symptoms among TGD youth and explored the moderating role of gender identity pride on these associations. METHODS: Participants were 315 TGD youth ages 12-20 years (mean = 16; standard deviation = 1.89) seeking gender-affirming hormone treatment at one of four major pediatric hospitals across the United States. At the time of enrollment, participants were naïve to gender-affirming hormone treatment. Participants self-reported mental health, internalized transphobia, and identity pride. Multiple regression models were used with depression and anxiety symptoms as outcomes and age, designated sex at birth, and perceived parental support included as covariates. RESULTS: Greater internalized transphobia was associated with greater depressive symptoms, and gender identity pride moderated this relationship, such that greater gender identity pride was associated with fewer depressive symptoms. Greater internalized transphobia was significantly associated with greater anxiety symptoms; no moderation effect was observed for this relationship. DISCUSSION: Gender identity pride influenced mental health symptoms for youth experiencing internalized transphobia and represents a potential key protective factor. These results support efforts to further develop, test, and implement clinical inventions to bolster identity pride for TGD youth.

PurposeTransgender/gender-diverse (TGD) youth are treated with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists (GnRHas) to halt endogenous puberty and prevent the development of secondary sex characteristics discordant with their gender identity. This treatment may have significant impact on growth and height velocity (HV).MethodsParticipants were recruited prior to GnRHa initiation from four gender specialty clinics in the U.S. Anthropometric, laboratory, and Tanner-stage data were abstracted from medical records.ResultsFifty-five TGD youth (47% designated male at birth) with a mean ± standard deviation age of 11.5 ± 1.2 years were included in the analysis. HV in the first year of GnRHa use was median (interquartile range) 5.1 (3.7-5.6) cm/year. Later Tanner stage at GnRHa initiation was associated with lower HV: 5.3 (4.4-5.6) cm/year for Tanner stage II, 4.4 (3.3-6.0) cm/year for Tanner stage III, and 1.6 (1.5-2.9) cm/year for Tanner stage IV (p = .001). When controlled for age, there was not a significant difference in mean HV between TGD youth and prepubertal youth; however, when stratified by Tanner stage individuals starting GnRHa at Tanner stage IV had an HV below that of prepubertal youth, 1.6 (1.5-2.9) versus 6.1 (4.3-6.5) cm/year, p = .006.ConclusionsOverall, TGD youth treated with GnRHa have HV similar to that of prepubertal children, but TGD youth who start GnRHa later in puberty have an HV below the prepubertal range. Ongoing follow-up of this cohort will determine the impact of GnRHa treatment on adult height.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to characterize two developmental cohorts of transgender and nonbinary youth enrolled in the Trans Youth Care Network Study and describe their gender identity-related milestones and baseline mental health and psychosocial functioning. METHODS: Trans Youth Care participants were recruited from four pediatric academic medical centers in the U.S. before initiating medical treatment for gender dysphoria either with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists (GnRHa) or gender-affirming hormones (GAH). GnRHa cohort data were collected from youth and a parent; GAH cohort data were collected from youth only. RESULTS: A total of 95 youth were enrolled in the GnRHa cohort. Mean age was 11.22 years (standard deviation = 1.46), and the majority were white (52.6%) and designated male at birth (51.6%). Elevated depression symptoms were endorsed by 28.6% of GnRHa cohort youth, and 22.1% endorsed clinically significant anxiety. Approximately one fourth (23.6%) endorsed lifetime suicidal ideation, with 7.9% reporting a past suicide attempt. A total of 316 youth were enrolled in the GAH cohort. The mean age was 16.0 years (standard deviation = 1.88), and the majority were white (62%) and designated female at birth (64.9%). Elevated depression symptoms were endorsed by 51.3% of the GAH cohort, and 57.3% endorsed clinically significant anxiety. Two-thirds (66.6%) endorsed lifetime suicidal ideation, with 24.6% reporting a past suicide attempt. Life satisfaction was lower among both cohorts compared with population-based norms. CONCLUSIONS: GnRHa cohort youth appear to be functioning better from a psychosocial standpoint than GAH cohort youth, pointing to possible benefits of accessing gender-affirming treatment earlier in life.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to describe baseline physical and laboratory characteristics of participants in the largest prospective study of transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) youth in the United States. METHODS: Participants were recruited from four clinics which specialize in the care of TGD youth before starting either GnRH analogs for pubertal suppression or gender-affirming hormone treatment. Anthropometric and laboratory measurements were abstracted from the medical chart. Baseline characteristics including height, weight, body mass index, blood pressure, and laboratory measurements were compared with those of age-matched National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey comparison group. RESULTS: Seventy-eight TGD youth with a median age of 11 years (range 8-14 years) were recruited before pubertal suppression, of whom 41 (53%) were designated male at birth, and 296 participants with a median age of 16 years (range 12-20 years) were recruited before beginning gender-affirming hormones, of whom 99 (33%) were designated male at birth. The mean high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was lower in the study participants when compared with that of National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey participants (50.6 ± 12.3 mg/dL vs. 53.3 ± 13.3 mg/dL, p = .001). Otherwise, the study cohorts were similar in terms of body mass index, proportion of overweight and obesity, blood pressure, and baseline laboratory variables. CONCLUSIONS: Before starting gender-affirming treatment, TGD youth are physiologically similar to the general population of children and adolescents in the United States, with the exception of slightly lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Evaluation of this cohort over time will define the physiological effects of pubertal blockade and gender-affirming hormone treatment.