Disparities in Childhood Abuse Between Transgender and Cisgender Adolescents

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Transgender adolescents (TGAs) exhibit disproportionate levels of mental health problems compared with cisgender adolescents (CGAs), but psychosocial processes underlying mental health disparities among TGAs remain understudied. We examined self-reported childhood abuse among TGAs compared with CGAs and risk for abuse within subgroups of TGAs in a nationwide sample of US adolescents.METHODS: Adolescents aged 14 to 18 completed a cross-sectional online survey (n 5 1836, including 1055 TGAs, 340 heterosexual CGAs, and 433 sexual minority CGAs). Participants reported gender assigned at birth and current gender identity (categorized as the following: cisgender males, cisgender females, transgender males, transgender females, nonbinary adolescents assigned female at birth, nonbinary adolescents assigned male at birth, and questioning gender identity). Lifetime reports of psychological, physical, and sexual abuse were measured.RESULTS: Seventy-three percent of TGAs reported psychological abuse, 39% reported physical abuse, and 19% reported sexual abuse. Compared with heterosexual CGAs, TGAs had higher odds of psychological abuse (odds ratio [OR] 5 1.84), physical abuse (OR 5 1.61), and sexual abuse (OR 5 2.04). Within separate subgroup analyses, transgender males and nonbinary adolescents assigned female at birth had higher odds of reporting psychological abuse than CGAs.CONCLUSIONS: In a nationwide online sample of US adolescents, TGAs had elevated rates of psychological, physical, and sexual abuse compared with heterosexual CGAs. Risk for psychological abuse was highest among TGAs assigned female at birth. In the future, researchers should examine how more frequent experiences of abuse during childhood could contribute to disproportionate mental health problems observed within this population.

HPV screening in the urine of transpeople - A prevalence study

“…Childhood sexual abuse was described by 19% in transpeople, being the highest in FtM. 15 A HPV prevalence of 17% in girls after sexual abuse had been described previously. 29 Furthermore, compliance with cytology-based screening is lower after sexual assault.…”

“…12 , 13 , 14 Furthermore, childhood sexual abuse has been described in a fifth of transpeople, being the highest in FtM. 15 Consequently, transmen prefer self-collected vaginal swabs to provider-collected cervical swabs. 7 …”

Transgenders are the most vulnerable amongst individuals engaging in receptive anal intercourse

“…Thoma et al . [ 28 ] from United States too found TG adolescents to have experienced higher rates of sexual abuse compared to heterosexual cisgender counterparts. TGs face additional healthcare challenges compared to their lesbian, gay, bisexual and cisgender counterparts.…”

“…This frequency is on lower side of earlier Indian reports (44-48%). [ 16 23 28 ] Godbole et al . [ 30 ] found being bisexual to be associated with older age (>30 years: Adjusted odds ratio 6.5).…”

How minority stress becomes traumatic invalidation: An emotion-focused conceptualization of minority stress in sexual and gender minority people.

“…Beginning in early childhood and continuing into adolescence and adulthood, SGM people are at higher risk for interpersonal PTEs (e.g., childhood sexual abuse, physical abuse, school-based assault, and bullying; Friedman et al, 2011; Thoma et al, 2021) particularly as others become aware of their identities. Many forms of interpersonal trauma are inherently invalidating—survivors of violence not only lose control over their physical safety, but also have their sense of agency and emotional safety disregarded.…”