Breaking down the data: What does the 2025 U.S. National Survey say about transgender health care?

The Trevor Project’s 2025 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People analyzed the experiences of more than 16,000 LGBTQ+ young people ages 13 to 24 across the United States. The survey covers an array of risk factors, protective factors, and day-to-day experiences that impact LGBTQ+ young people’s mental health and well-being. This blog post offers a deeper dive into the data – and offers a breakdown of what the 2025 U.S. National Survey shows about the topic of transgender healthcare.

What is transgender healthcare?

Transgender healthcare is an umbrella term encompassing a wide range of ​healthcare treatments to help align a person’s body with their gender.

Not all transgender or nonbinary people feel the need to use transgender healthcare to change their bodies, but many use treatments such as hormone replacement therapy or gender-affirming surgery to decrease gender dysphoria, which is the medical diagnosis for when a transgender person’s internal sense of their gender doesn’t match their sex at birth. This is more common for transgender or nonbinary adults, whereas the number of young people who report receiving this care is relatively small. Many of the treatments which make up transgender healthcare are also used by cisgender (or non-transgender) people to support their physical and mental health, such as hormone replacement therapy being used to treat low testosterone or symptoms of menopause. 

Many people haven’t heard about this type of care until very recently – but it is nothing new. Transgender healthcare has been provided for decades,¹ based on scientific research and supported by leading medical and mental health associations.^2,3

How does receiving transgender healthcare impact mental health among transgender and nonbinary young people?

A growing body of medical and scientific literature is documenting the positive effects of transgender healthcare on the mental health of transgender and nonbinary youth and adults. Transgender and nonbinary young people who have received desired hormone replacement therapy (the most common form of transgender healthcare) report lower rates of depression and suicide risk.^4,5 In addition there are positive benefits, such as increased body satisfaction, general well-being, and improved quality of life.^6-8

What happens to transgender and nonbinary young people’s mental health when access to transgender healthcare is restricted? 

A number of states have moved to restrict transgender and nonbinary young people’s access to transgender healthcare in recent years. As of May 2026, 26 states and one U.S. territory have laws banning transgender healthcare for young people.⁹ 

New research from The Trevor Project’s 2025 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People shows the negative effects of restricting this best practice medical care on the mental health of transgender and nonbinary young people. Less than half (44%) of TGNB young people who wanted to take hormones to support their gender transition or expression were able to access them. TGNB young people who were unable to access the hormones they wanted were nearly twice as likely to attempt suicide than those who could (15% vs. 8%).

Even in states where youth access to transgender healthcare is not banned, transgender and nonbinary young people are scared about losing access and experiencing barriers to getting the care they need. The vast majority (87%) of TGNB young people who use hormones to support their gender transition or expression were somewhat or very concerned about losing access to this care. Most (75%) TGNB young people with access to transgender health care said they experienced some or many difficulties in accessing their care.The top three cited barriers are issues with insurance coverage, long wait times for appointments, and lack of knowledgeable providers in the young person’s local area. 

How can you support transgender and nonbinary young people? 

Research from The Trevor Project has consistently shown that some of the best ways to support transgender and nonbinary young people are: to trust that they know who they are, stand up for them, and respect their name and pronouns.^10,11

For more information about supporting transgender and nonbinary young people in your life, check out our Resource Center and guides like “Understanding Gender Identities & Pronouns” and “Guide to Being an Ally to Transgender and Nonbinary Young People.”

References

• Deutsch, M. B., Bowers, M. L., Radix, A., & Carmel, T. C. (2019). Transgender medical care in the United States: A historical perspective.  In J. S. Schneider, V. M. B. Silenzio, & L. Erickson-Schroth (Eds.) The GLMA Handbook on LGBT Health (pp. 83-132). Praeger.
  
• American Medical Association. (2024). Clarification of Evidence-Based Gender-Affirming Care. Available at: https://policysearch.ama-assn.org/policyfinder/detail/%22Clarification%20of%20Evidence-Based%20Gender-Affirming%20Care%22?uri=%2FAMADoc%2FHOD-185.927.xml (accessed 8 May 2026).

• American Psychological Association. (2024). APA policy statement on affirming evidence-based inclusive care for transgender, gender diverse, and nonbinary individuals, addressing misinformation, and the role of psychological practice and science. Available at: https://www.apa.org/about/policy/transgender-nonbinary-inclusive-care.pdf (accessed 8 May 2026).

• Green, A. E., DeChants, J. P., Price, M. N., & Davis, C. K. (2021). Association of gender-affirming hormone therapy with depression, thoughts of suicide, and attempted suicide among transgender and nonbinary youth. Journal of Adolescent Health, 70(4), 643–649. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.10.036
  
• Tordoff, D. M., Wanta, J. W., Collin, A., Stepney, C., Inwards-Breland, D. J., & Ahrens, K. (2022). Mental health outcomes in transgender and nonbinary youths receiving gender-affirming care. JAMA Netw Open, 5(2), e220978. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.0978
  
• Achille, C., Taggart, T., Eaton, N.R. et al. (2020). Longitudinal impact of gender-affirming endocrine intervention on the mental health and well-being of transgender youths: preliminary results. Int J Pediatr Endocrinol 2020, 8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13633-020-00078-2
  
• Allen, L. R., Watson, L. B., Egan, A. M., & Moser, C. N. (2019). Well-being and suicidality among transgender youth after gender-affirming hormones, Clinical Practice in Pediatric Psychology, 7, 3, 302-311. https://doi.org/10.1037/cpp0000288  

• Croteau, T. A., Gelech, J., Morrison, M. A., & Morrison, T. G. (2025). Psychological and physical health outcomes associated with gender-affirming medical care for transgender and gender-diverse youth: A critical review. Healthcare, 13 (14), 1659. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13141659 

• Movement Advancement Project. (2026). Bans on Best Practice Medical Care for Transgender Youth. https://mapresearch.org/equality-map/bans-on-best-practice-medical-care-for-transgender-youth/
  
• Nath, R., Matthews, D.D., DeChants, J.P., Hobaica, S., Clark, C.M., Taylor, A.B., Muñoz, G. (2024). 2024 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People. West Hollywood, California: The Trevor Project. www.thetrevorproject.org/survey-2024
  
• Nath, R., Matthews, D.D., Hobaica, S., DeChants, J.P., Eden, T. M.,, Taylor, A.B., & Suffredini, K. (2026). 2025 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People. West Hollywood, California: The Trevor Project. https://doi.org/10.70226/EKGT3197