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Trans Pathways is set to receive an update ahead of the ten-year anniversary of the release of this seminal study from The Kids Research Institute Australia.
Researchers have developed Australia’s first comprehensive guidelines for clinical and community services supporting LGBTQA+ youth.
Trans and gender diverse young people experience mental health difficulties self-harm and suicidality at markedly higher rates than the general population, yet they often feel isolated from mental health services. There is little qualitative research on the experiences of trans and gender diverse young people accessing mental health support in Australia.
Parental support is strongly correlated with protective factors for trans youth yet most experience parental rejection or ambivalence regarding their gender. Many parents report a desire to support their child but indicate lack of understanding and support as key barriers. We aimed to develop a nuanced understanding of the challenges and facilitators experienced by Australian parents in developing understanding, support and acceptance of their child’s gender and their needs to do so.
Parental support is strongly correlated with protective factors for trans youth, however, most experience unsupportive parental attitudes. We aimed to better understand how youth perceive parental reactions to their gender identity disclosure and what they consider to be barriers to, and facilitators of, support.
Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is particularly common among trans young people. NSSI is most commonly used as an emotion regulation strategy, which may explain the high prevalence of the behavior among trans young people, who often experience unique stressors. In the current study we test an application of the Pantheoretical Framework of Dehumanization, in which transphobic experiences, body surveillance, body dissatisfaction, and gender dysphoria are all theorized to predict NSSI.
Transgender and gender diverse (“trans”) people are more likely to experience adverse mental health outcomes due to the social adversities that are commonly experienced. One ameliorating factor for poor mental health outcomes can be connection to community, often facilitated in online spaces such as TikTok.
The Gender and IMmunity study (GIM) aims to evaluate how gender-affirming hormone therapy impacts the immune system in young trans individuals, and how this translates to short and long-term health outcomes.
Penelope Strauss BA, MPH, PhD Research Fellow in Youth Suicide Prevention 08 6319 1297 Penelope.strauss@thekids.org.au Research Fellow in Youth
This research aims to improve the mental health of LGBTQIA+ individuals through enhanced inclusive practice training for trainee health professionals.