Mental Health and Gender Affirmation of Black and Latine Transgender/Nonbinary Youth Compared to White Peers Prior to Hormone Initiation

Vance, Stanley R.; Chen, Diane; Garofalo, Robert; Glidden, David V.; Ehrensaft, Diane; Hidalgo, Marco; Tishelman, Amy; Rosenthal, Stephen M.; Chan, Yee-Ming; Olson-Kennedy, Johanna; Sevelius, Jae

doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2023.06.022

Cited by 2 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Based on recommendations elicited directly from BLTY, parents of BLTY and BLTYAs, our study’s findings highlight supports that are perceived to be most relevant to the needs of BLTY and their gender affirmation. Recent studies have centered the experiences of BLTY and identified factors such as parental gender affirmation and school-based stressors that impact their psychosocial outcomes [ 6 , 13 ]. Our current study takes an additional step beyond prior studies’ identification of protective and risk factors for these youth.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Black and Latine transgender/nonbinary youth (BLTY) have multiple minoritized identities as they are both racial/ethnic minorities and gender diverse. In recent studies, BLTY have been found to have high rates of mental health symptoms, similar to those of White transgender/nonbinary peers [ 6 , 13 ]. In one school-based study, BLTY and White transgender cohorts had similar odds of past-year depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts; approximately half of these transgender high school students reported experiencing these symptoms [ 6 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In one school-based study, BLTY and White transgender cohorts had similar odds of past-year depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts; approximately half of these transgender high school students reported experiencing these symptoms [ 6 ]. In a 4-site clinical study, BLTY and White transgender/nonbinary youth had similar rates of depression, but BLTY were less likely to report lifetime suicidality [ 13 ]. The prevalence of lifetime suicidality for BLTY at 59% was still very high compared to the general adolescent population.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Social-contextual factors that could potentially mitigate mental health risks among BLTY are critical to investigate. For example, a recent study showed that BLTY who reported higher levels of parental acceptance had lower odds of depressive symptoms, similar to their White transgender/nonbinary peers [ 13 ]. This study also found that BLTY who did not live socially as their affirmed gender had higher odds of depressive symptoms.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Community-Derived Recommendations for Improving Gender Affirmation of Black and Latine Transgender/Nonbinary Youth

Vance,

Venegas,

Johnson

et al. 2024

Annals of Behavioral Medicine

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Background Gender affirmation is a process by which gender-diverse individuals are supported in their gender identity. Parents are critical in how gender-diverse youth, including Black and Latine transgender/nonbinary youth (BLTY), access various forms of gender affirmation—for example, social and medical transition. Culturally relevant supports are needed to bolster how BLTY and their parents navigate gender affirmation. Purpose This study aimed to explore recommendations for aiding BLTY and parents in navigating the youth’s gender journey. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents of BLTY, BLTY, and BLT young adults (BLTYAs) recruited from clinics, community organizations, and social media. Interviews focused on gender affirmation and recommendations to promote BLTY’s gender affirmation. Primary and secondary analysts coded transcripts using a priori and emergent codes. For this analysis, excerpts pertaining to recommended supports were analyzed to identify themes. Results Ten parents of BLTY, 10 BLTY (14–18 years), and 23 BLTYAs (18–30 years) participated. Participants provided recommendations at different socio-ecological levels. On the societal level, participants recommended improvements in media representation of racial and ethnic minority gender-diverse individuals. For organizations, participants recommended more clinicians who shared minoritized identities, clinicians knowledgeable in gender-affirming care, affordability of gender-affirming services, and school-based education regarding gender diversity. On interpersonal/individual levels, they suggested culturally informed peer support among BLTY and parents, including support groups, peer mentors, and camps with individuals who share their minoritized identities. Conclusions Participants provided salient insights to supporting gender affirmation of BLTY, which can inform intervention development for BLTY and their families.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%