Abstract
Transgender identification seems to have become more common among young people in recent years. Simultaneously, the numbers of adolescents seeking medical gender reassignment have spiralled in many countries, with the majority now often consisting of birth-registered females. The knowledge base on the development of gender identity and gender-related distress as well as on the risks and long-term outcomes of medical gender interventions on minors is very limited. The topic gives rise to strong emotions and polarised discussions both in the media and in the scientific community, making the acquisition of more solid research information ever more essential. This vulnerable group of minors deserves, like all others, to be treated according to scientifically proven optimal practices.
The development of a stable and continuous experience of oneself, both internally and in relation to others, is one of the main tasks of adolescence that continues into adulthood. Problems in this identity development will likely cause problems in many other life domains, including mental health, and poor identity development has been associated with, for example, various mental disorders. Adolescents seeking medical gender reassignment have been reported to often have considerable mental health problems.
This study investigated the identity development and psychiatric morbidity of adolescents seeking medical gender reassignment. More precisely, the identity development of adolescents referred to gender identity services was compared to that of same-aged adolescents in general population. Additionally, the psychiatric morbidity of the gender-referred adolescents was compared to that of adolescents referred to general psychiatric care. Finally, the possible associations between indicators of identity development and psychiatric morbidity were studied among the gender-referred adolescents.
According to the results, the identity development of gender-referred adolescents did not greatly differ from that of population adolescents. However, the psychiatric symptom profiles were very similar to those of adolescents referred to general psychiatric care. Nor was there any association between the indicators of identity development and psychiatric morbidity among the gender-referred adolescents, although a connection was found between the indicator of identity development and being considered eligible or non-eligible for medical gender reassignment according to the assessment performed by the multidisciplinary team.
This study adds to the increasing knowledge base indicating that adolescents seeking medical gender reassignment are a heterogeneous group of young people who may often have complex psychiatric treatment needs. Indeed, the planning of individual treatment pathways needs to rely on careful and comprehensive assessment involving clinical psychiatric expertise, multiple sources of information and diverse assessment tools. The old research results and narratives based on essentially disparate populations seeking medical gender reassignment cannot be directly applied to the current population of gender-referred adolescents. Furthermore, the polarised discussions on the subject need to become more moderate so that adolescents can concentrate on exploring and developing their identities and the adolescents and their families can work together with professionals undisturbed if needed.
The development of a stable and continuous experience of oneself, both internally and in relation to others, is one of the main tasks of adolescence that continues into adulthood. Problems in this identity development will likely cause problems in many other life domains, including mental health, and poor identity development has been associated with, for example, various mental disorders. Adolescents seeking medical gender reassignment have been reported to often have considerable mental health problems.
This study investigated the identity development and psychiatric morbidity of adolescents seeking medical gender reassignment. More precisely, the identity development of adolescents referred to gender identity services was compared to that of same-aged adolescents in general population. Additionally, the psychiatric morbidity of the gender-referred adolescents was compared to that of adolescents referred to general psychiatric care. Finally, the possible associations between indicators of identity development and psychiatric morbidity were studied among the gender-referred adolescents.
According to the results, the identity development of gender-referred adolescents did not greatly differ from that of population adolescents. However, the psychiatric symptom profiles were very similar to those of adolescents referred to general psychiatric care. Nor was there any association between the indicators of identity development and psychiatric morbidity among the gender-referred adolescents, although a connection was found between the indicator of identity development and being considered eligible or non-eligible for medical gender reassignment according to the assessment performed by the multidisciplinary team.
This study adds to the increasing knowledge base indicating that adolescents seeking medical gender reassignment are a heterogeneous group of young people who may often have complex psychiatric treatment needs. Indeed, the planning of individual treatment pathways needs to rely on careful and comprehensive assessment involving clinical psychiatric expertise, multiple sources of information and diverse assessment tools. The old research results and narratives based on essentially disparate populations seeking medical gender reassignment cannot be directly applied to the current population of gender-referred adolescents. Furthermore, the polarised discussions on the subject need to become more moderate so that adolescents can concentrate on exploring and developing their identities and the adolescents and their families can work together with professionals undisturbed if needed.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Self-published |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 978-952-03-3889-3 |
| ISBN (Print) | 978-952-03-3888-6 |
| Publication status | Published - 2025 |
| Publication type | G5 Doctoral dissertation (articles) |