Gender
New Studies: Trans Youth and Mental Health
March 30, 2016 | Emily Taylor
Two recently published studies explore the effects of socialization patterns on transgender youth. One of the recent studies, focused on 16-29 year old women, found that “the rate of psychiatric disorders and substance dependence among these women was 1.7 to 3.6 times greater than in the general population”. These young people grew up in poverty with little acceptance of their gender identities. The other study assessed the mental health of 73 transgender 3-12 year old children in Washington state and the results showed that this group did “not experience any more depression, and had only slightly more anxiety, than their siblings and non-transgender peers”. In contrast, these young people grew up in relatively affluent households and were more emotionally supported.