With more and more stories in the public media regarding transgender adults, we need to remember that gender dysphoria can certainly start in childhood and not just adolescence. Yet what happens to transgender children who are socially transitioned in a supportive way during their childhood and in turn adolescence? Do they develop mental health issues like depression and anxiety in excess of children the same age without gender dysphoria? Olson et al. (10.1542/peds.2015-3223), in a study being early-released this month, decided to address this question by conducting a national survey of parents of transgender youth in regard to measures of their child’s mental health. They compared the results of children with gender dysphoria to non-transgender children in the same communities as well as to other non-transgender siblings in the same family. The results are promising and support the acceptance of socially transitioning a child with gender dysphoria rather than insist they live as their natal sex during their childhood and adolescence.
To add context to this study, Dr. Ilona Sherer (10.1542/peds.2015-4358) who is an expert when it comes to counseling families of children with gender dysphoria provides a useful commentary that is well worth your attention. Have you found similar findings in your own patients with gender dysphora? We welcome your comments on this study and commentary via responding to this blog, leaving a comment on the website, or posting on the journal’s Facebook or Twitter links.
