The study, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, finds that transgender and nonbinary youth are particularly vulnerable to poor mental health outcomes and suicide risk
TODAY, May 20th, The Trevor Project announced that its research team has published a new peer-reviewed article titled “Understanding the Mental Health of Transgender and Nonbinary Youth” in the Journal of Adolescent Health (JAH). The study will be included in the medical journal’s June 2020 “Pride” issue but is available online now.
Key Findings:
- When accounting for age, family income, and youth race/ethnicity, transgender and nonbinary youth were 2 to 2.5 times as likely to experience depressive symptoms, seriously consider suicide, and attempt suicide compared to their cisgender lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, and questioning peers.
- Transgender and nonbinary youth reported higher rates of perceived discrimination because of their sexual orientation or gender identity and reported having been physically threatened or harmed at nearly twice the rate of cisgender lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, and questioning youth.
- Transgender males reported higher rates of depressive mood (86%), having seriously considered suicide (62%), and attempted suicide (35%) in the past 12 months compared with youth of all other gender identities.
- Transgender males, transgender females, and nonbinary youth assigned female at birth were all significantly more likely than cisgender lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, and questioning peers to report seriously considering suicide.
“Prior to this study, there was a clear lack of research on the differences in mental health and suicidality within different sub-groups of LGBTQ youth. These results underscore that transgender and nonbinary youth are particularly vulnerable to poor mental health outcomes and suicide risk compared to their cisgender peers within the LGBTQ community. Furthermore, they show how LGBTQ-based discrimination and victimization contribute to these increased mental health disparities,” said Amy E. Green, Ph.D. (she/her pronouns), Director of Research at The Trevor Project.
“At The Trevor Project, we hear from trans youth in crisis every day and we understand the detrimental impacts discrimination and harassment can have on their mental health and well-being. We hope this data will encourage more robust nationwide data collection on LGBTQ youth mental health, and that policymakers and health care providers will use these insights to create policies and safe spaces that protect and affirm trans youth everywhere,” said Myeshia Price-Feeney, Ph.D. (she/her pronouns), Research Scientist at The Trevor Project.
These findings point to the need to directly address the unique challenges of transgender and nonbinary youth in prevention and intervention programs and to advance policies that reduce discrimination and victimization based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
If you or someone you know is feeling hopeless or suicidal, contact The Trevor Project’s TrevorLifeline 24/7 at 1-866-488-7386. Counseling is also available 24/7 via chat every day at TheTrevorProject.org/Help, or by texting START to 678-678.
ABOUT THE TREVOR PROJECT
The Trevor Project is the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people. The Trevor Project offers a suite of 24/7 crisis intervention and suicide prevention programs, including TrevorLifeline, TrevorText, and TrevorChat as well as the world’s largest safe space social networking site for LGBTQ youth, TrevorSpace. Trevor also operates an education program with resources for youth-serving adults and organizations, an advocacy department fighting for pro-LGBTQ legislation and against anti-LGBTQ rhetoric/policy positions, and a research team to discover the most effective means to help young LGBTQ people in crisis and end suicide. If you or someone you know is feeling hopeless or suicidal, our trained crisis counselors are available 24/7 at 1-866-488-7386 via chat www.TheTrevorProject.org/Get-Help, or by texting START to 678-678.
MEDIA CONTACT
Rob Todaro
The Trevor Project
212.695.8650 x403
[email protected]
