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A groundbreaking new study has confirmed what trans youth have long known to be true: access to gender-affirming hormone therapy can have overwhelmingly positive mental health effects.
The study, published Tuesday in the peer-reviewed Journal of Adolescent Health, is the first large-scale research regarding the mental health effects of hormone therapy for transgender and nonbinary youth, with a sample of over 9,000 respondents between the ages of 13 and 24.
The survey, conducted by researchers at the Trevor Project, a crisis support organization for LGBTQ+ youth, found that trans people under 18 who had sought out and received hormone therapy were nearly 40% less likely to report recent depression and a past-year suicide attempt than those who wanted hormone treatment but could not receive it.
“These data should serve as a call to action to resist blanket bans on gender-affirming medical care and to invest in more research on this topic so that youth and their families can make evidence-informed decisions regarding care,” Dr. Amy Green, Vice President of Research at The Trevor Project, said in a press release.
Conducted between October and December 2020, the survey asked participants about whether or not they wanted and/or were currently taking hormones, and if they were screened for depression and suicidality in the past year.
Respondents were also asked about parental support for their gender identities, experiences with harassment and bullying, whether or not they had taken puberty blockers, and whether they had ever been subjected to conversion therapy.
In addition to finding lower rates of depression and suicidality among those who received sought-after hormone therapy, the researchers also established that access to this care was stratified for trans youth, with lower rates of access for young people of color — especially Black youth — compared to white youth.
The survey also suggests that supportive parents play a crucial role in ensuring access to gender-affirming hormone-therapy. Nearly 80% of youth who received hormone therapy reported having at least one supportive parent, while fewer than 4% of minors without parental support were able to access trans-affirming medical care.
The study arrives amid an onslaught of recent bills targeting access to gender-affirming medical care for youth, many of them predicated on willful misinterpretations of research on trans mental health. In April, Arkansas passed a law banning trans-affirming medical care for youth, but a court ruling blocked enforcement in July.
High rates of depression and suicidality among transgender youth “are sometimes used by anti-transgender politicians and activists to erroneously suggest that transgender identity is a mental health condition that can be treated through counseling and conversion efforts,” the study observes.
Such false logic, the researchers note, ignores “the impacts of gender dysphoria and minority stress and suggest that [gender-affirming hormone therapy] is not necessary if transgender youth can be counseled into accepting their sex assigned at birth.”
To the contrary, the study’s findings suggest that gender-affirming medical care will improve mental health outcomes among trans and nonbinary youth. The authors ultimately recommend raising awareness around gender-affirming care among parents, providers, and others in positions to support trans youth, since most minors need parental consent to access hormone therapy.
“Banning this vital care and exposing young people to harmful political rhetoric can cause real harm,” said Trevor Project CEO and executive director Amit Paley. “It’s critical that all transgender and nonbinary youth across the country have access to medical care that is affirming, patient-centered, and evidence-based.”
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