Is Research on Transgender Children What It Seems? Comments on Recent Research on Transgender Children with High Levels of Parental Support

Abstract

Recent research on transgender children who have had support from their parents for their transitioning has concluded that their mental health is virtually no different than that of nontransgender children. Such research has been extensively cited, over 370 times in the past three years. Most of the hundreds of reviews received the stated results of the studies with little caution. However, the research featured numerous statistical errors and omissions, the implications of which would likely lead neutral observers to conclude that the mental health of transgender children, even when supported by their parents, was poorer than that of the groups of control children. In particular, levels of anxiety as reported by both parents and their transgender children appear to be significantly higher, and the transgender children’s reports of self-worth appear to be significantly lower. Although reports regarding depression are not as significantly different, the effect sizes were generally in a similar direction as the other outcomes, being less favorable for the transgender children. Such issues highlight the need for careful examination of statistical research, even when published in highly regarded medical journals. As with other research, findings from the early stages of controversial research may often be premature. Further research is needed to explore factors underlying these results. Summary: Some scholars have believed that if transgender children were supported by their parents before the children reached puberty, the generally higher rates of mental illness experienced by many transgender persons might be prevented or alleviated. Dr. Kristina Olson of the Department of Psychology at the University of Seattle was the first scholar to have studied groups of transgender children who were being supported by their parents and to have compared them to a control group of children and to siblings of the same transgender children. Her conclusion was that there were minimal, if any, differences in anxiety, depression, and self-worth among the groups of children; her research has since been cited extensively as having found just that. We reanalyzed her raw data and found that, to the contrary, the transgender children, even when supported by their parents, had significantly lower average scores on anxiety and self-worth. Often, a significantly higher percentage of transgender children, compared to controls, featured preclinical or clinical levels of anxiety. Parental support of transgender children may temporarily reduce levels of poor mental health for some transgender children, but it does not appear to eliminate those problems for all transgender children. Our findings should serve as a warning against accepting research at a surface level, which can lead to acceptance of invalid information and pursuit of ineffective interventions.

Difficulties With Methodology in Social Science Research With Controversial Issues Regarding Human Sexuality

“…One way that this occurs may be through a tendency for scholars to cite research findings favorable to their causes while ignoring/not citing contradictory evidence. It has been found that authors were far more likely to cite research that was favorable for same-sex families, even their own research (Schumm 2010a; Schumm and Crawford 2020a) than to cite research that was not favorable. As an example, Goldberg, Bos, and Gartrell (2011) found that nearly 60% of the offspring of lesbian mothers, by age 17, had used illegal drugs, compared to about a fifth of the children of heterosexual parents, a substantial and statistically significant difference.…”

“…However, a review of her raw data undermines that claim” (p. 8). Vadevelu and Arunberkfa (2022) cited Schumm and Crawford (2020) in connection with their convenience sampling plan (p. 6) and with respect to future research (p. 12), along with many other articles that they cited. Thus, three of the four citations ignored the essential findings of Schumm and Crawford (2020b), which may either reflect confirmation bias or the difficulty in overturning incorrect but widely cited results.…”

Transgender debates and healthcare: A critical realist account

“…For example, Olson (2016) argued that transitioning children with parental support have the same levels of psychopathology as controls. However, a review of her raw data undermines that claim (Schumm and Crawford, 2020).…”

Transforming Connections: A Trauma-Informed and Attachment-Based Program to Promote Sensitive Parenting of Trans and Gender Non-conforming Youth

“…Even though there has been some debate in the literature as to the relative protective benefits associated with parental support for youth with gender dysphoria (Schumm and Crawford, 2020 ), the larger literature consistently underscores the importance of parental support and secure attachment in promoting adolescent well-being. There are likely diverse trajectories among youth with gender dysphoria as they strive toward self-understanding, self-expression, and developing connections in the community.…”