Gender Felt Pressure, Affective Domains, and Mental Health Outcomes among Transgender and Gender Diverse (TGD) Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review with Developmental and Clinical Implications

Summary & key facts

This systematic review looked at mental health in transgender and gender diverse (TGD) children and adolescents by examining 33 studies found in Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science using PRISMA guidelines. It found that TGD youth often have higher levels of anxiety, depression, and other emotional or behavioral problems (such as eating disorders and substance use) than their cisgender peers. The review also reported that many TGD young people show resilience, but health disparities remain, which the authors link mainly to societal pressure to conform to assigned gender.

Key facts:

• The review included 33 articles identified through searches in Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science using PRISMA methods.
• Compared with cisgender peers, TGD children and adolescents tended to experience more adverse mental health outcomes.
• The studies reported high levels of anxiety and depression among TGD youth.
• The review found other emotional and behavioral problems in TGD youth, including eating disorders and substance use.
• The authors noted that TGD young people can have significant resilience factors that help them face stigma and discrimination.
• The review states that health disparities for TGD individuals are mainly attributable to gender-based pressure to conform to their assigned gender.

Abstract

Although capable of mobilizing significant resilience factors to face stigma and discrimination, transgender and gender diverse (TGD) children and adolescents tend to suffer from more adverse mental health outcomes compared to their cisgender counterparts. The minority stressors that this population faces are mainly due to the gender-based pressure to conform to their assigned gender. This systematic review was aimed at assessing the potential mental health issues that affect the TGD population. The literature search was conducted in three databases; namely, Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science, based on the PRISMA guidelines. The 33 articles included in the systematic review pointed out how TGD children and adolescents experience high levels of anxiety and depression, as well as other emotional and behavioral problems, such as eating disorders and substance use. Resilience factors have been also pointed out, which aid this population in facing these negative mental health outcomes. The literature review highlighted that, on the one hand, TGD individuals appear to exhibit high levels of resilience; nonetheless, health disparities exist for TGD individuals compared with the general population, which are mainly attributable to the societal gender pressure to conform to their assigned gender. Considerations for research and clinical practice are provided.

Topics

Gender Roles and Identity Studies LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology

Categories

Psychology Social Psychology Social Sciences

Tags

Affect (linguistics) Anxiety Clinical psychology Communication Environmental health Law Medicine MEDLINE Mental health Political science Population Psychiatry Psychoanalysis Psychological resilience Psychology Scopus Social psychology Stigma (botany) Stressor Systematic review Transgender