Support at Home, in Community May Protect Against Emotional Distress, Substance Use in Transgender Youth

Transgender and gender-diverse youth who feel close with their parents are less likely to experience emotional distress and engage in substance use compared with those reporting less connected relationships with parents, according to astudy in theAmerican Journal of Preventive Medicine. The study also found that youth who feel safe at school and have stronger relationships with teachers and other adults are less likely to experience depression, suicidality, and engage in substance use.“Given that transgender and gender-diverse [TGD] youth report lower levels of connectedness and safety, bolstering an explicitly transgender and gender-diverse−friendly network of caring parents, safe and supportive schools, and connections to adults in the community may support efforts to elimi nate disparities in depression, suicidality, and substance use,” Amy L. Glower, Ph.D., of the University of Minnesota and colleagues wrote.For the study, Glower and colleagues examined data from the 2016 Minnesota Student Survey —a survey that asks students about school climate, bullying, out-of-school activities, health and nutrition, emotional and mental health, relationships, substance use, and more. As part of the survey, students in the ninth and 11th grades were asked, “What is your biological sex?” (response op tions: male/female) and whether they “identify as transgender, genderqueer, genderfluid, or unsure about their gender identity” (yes/no).The researchers examined association...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: American Journal of Preventive Medicine Amy Gower depression gender diverse Patient Health Questionnaire substance use suicide transgender Source Type: research