(Press-News.org) A landmark longitudinal study of LGBTQ+ youths has found that transitioning gender identities is not associated with depression and that about 1 in 3 gender-minority youths change their gender identity more than once. In fact, the study found higher rates of depression among transgender youths are more closely associated with bullying and victimization.
The findings from a team of researchers at The University of Texas at Austin and in Brazil are outlined in a paper in JAMA Network Open.
The study followed 366 LGBTQ+ young people ages 15-21 in two U.S. cities from 2011 to 2015 and measured depressive symptoms periodically, as well as the young people’s self-reported gender identity and other factors. During the study period, three-fourths of the participants maintained a gender identity consistent with their sex at birth (known as cisgender) throughout the three years, and another 9% maintained a transgender identity during the study period. Variations in gender identity were observed among other participants, including about 8% who reported a transgender identity earlier on and moved to a cisgender identity by the end of the study.
“Exploring gender identity and gender expression is a normal part of adolescence and growing up for some youth,” said André Gonzales Real, a clinical psychiatrist and UT doctoral student in human development and family sciences and corresponding author on the paper. “Depression among transgender youth is a big public health concern, but it’s not gender identity or transitioning that is at the root. It’s the bullying, rejection and victimization we need to be worried about.”
Of the youths who reported a different gender identity during the study, almost one-third did so more than twice. Among these youths, the rate of depressive symptoms was the lowest of the different groups and remained largely stable throughout the study. Specifically, researchers found that young people who transitioned from a cisgender identity to a transgender identity were more likely to experience symptoms of depression than those who maintained a cisgender identity throughout the study.
Importantly, when researchers controlled for bullying and victimization, which is more common for transgender youths, there was no statistical difference in depressive symptoms between groups. The finding lends key context to earlier reports of links between youth depression and gender transition.
“We found that gender identity is not the primary driver of mental health. Mental health is related to the environment young people are living in,” said Stephen Russell, the Priscilla Pond Flawn Regents Professor in Child Development at UT and an author of the paper. “Being a transgender young person does not lead to depression on its own, but the social environment that many of these young people experience does.”
Researchers also concluded that there was no change in depressive symptoms measured before and after transitions to transgender — or to cisgender. Finally, the study found that results were the same regardless of participants’ use of hormones and puberty blockers. Many studies looking at long-term outcomes for transgender and gender diverse youths come from clinical settings. The study is innovative in using a community-based sample, working with young people involved in community organizations serving LGBTQ+ youths.
Maria Inês Rodrigues Lobato of Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil is also a cooresponding author on the paper. The research was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health.
END
Transitioning gender identities is not linked with depression
A landmark longitudinal study of LGBTQ+ youths has found that transitioning gender identities is not associated with depression
2024-05-22
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Century-old vaccine protects type 1 diabetics from infectious diseases
2024-05-22
BOSTON--In new research, investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) show that the 100-year-old Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine, originally developed to prevent tuberculosis, protects individuals with type 1 diabetes from severe COVID-19 disease and other infectious diseases.
Two back-to-back randomized double-blinded placebo-controlled trials found that the BCG vaccine provided continuous protection for nearly the entire COVID-19 pandemic in the US, regardless of the viral variant.
“Individuals with type 1 diabetes are highly susceptible to infectious diseases and had worse outcomes when they were infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus,” ...
How and why different cell division strategies evolve
2024-05-22
Cell division is fundamental to life, enabling growth, reproduction, and survival across all organisms, from single-celled bacteria to complex multicellular animals. While animals and fungi share a common eukaryotic ancestry, their mechanisms of cell division, particularly mitosis, have diverged significantly, raising intriguing evolutionary questions.
Animals typically undergo open mitosis, where the nuclear envelope disassembles during cell division, while fungi exhibit closed mitosis, maintaining an intact nuclear envelope. The evolutionary reasons behind these divergent strategies ...
IPK research team uncovers mechanism for spikelet development in barley
2024-05-22
The inflorescence architecture of crop plants like barley is predominantly regulated by meristem activity and fate, which play a critical role in determining the number of floral structures for grain production. Spikelets are the basic reproductive unit of grass inflorescences. The identity and determinacy of many grass meristems are partially determined by a group of genes expressed specifically at organ boundaries, which can form local signalling centres that regulate adjacent meristem fate and activity.
These genes are critical for establishing and ...
Ancient DNA study reveals population history of Western Tibetan Plateau
2024-05-22
According to a study published in Current Biology on May 22, the genetic components of the ancient populations in the western Tibetan Plateau are closest to ancient populations in the southern Tibetan Plateau, and their major genetic components have been maintained over the past 3,500 years. In addition, these ancient populations in the western Tibetan Plateau had complex and frequent interactions with ancient populations inside and outside the plateau.
The study was conducted by Prof. FU Qiaomei's team from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology ...
Exploring diversity in cell division
2024-05-22
Cell division is one of the most fundamental processes of life. From bacteria to blue whales, every living being on Earth relies on cell division for growth, reproduction, and species survival. Yet, there is remarkable diversity in the way different organisms carry out this universal process. A new study from EMBL Heidelberg’s Dey group and their collaborators, recently published in Nature, explores how different modes of cell division evolved in close relatives of fungi and animals, demonstrating, for the first time, the link between an organism’s ...
Sweet move: a modified sugar enhances antisense oligonucleotide safety and efficacy
2024-05-22
Researchers from Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) and Osaka University find that a newly developed modified sugar increases the efficacy and safety of antisense oligonucleotides designed to treat central nervous system disease
Tokyo, Japan – Diseases that affect the brain and spinal cord can be particularly devastating, and finding new and more effective ways to treat these conditions is an important goal for researchers and clinicians alike. Now, a research group from Japan reports that slightly modifying an existing treatment for central nervous system (CNS) disease dramatically increases its ...
Treatment options for hepatocellular carcinoma using immunotherapy: present and future
2024-05-22
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a prevalent form of cancer, profoundly influences the progression and prognosis of the disease through immune response mechanisms. The tumor microenvironment plays a pivotal role in fostering immune suppression and maintaining self-tolerance, which are crucial in developing and refining immunotherapy approaches.
In our comprehensive review, we initially delve into the characteristics of the tumor microenvironment in HCC, elucidating the predominant immunosuppressive mechanisms at play and the biomarkers pivotal for tracking the disease progression and therapeutic ...
Chevron partners with the Geological Society of America to offer geology field trip grants to students and early career professionals
2024-05-22
Boulder, Colo., USA: Chevron, a leading energy corporation committed to supporting educational initiatives in the geosciences, has announced a partnership with the Geological Society of America (GSA) to provide field trip grants, beginning with the organization’s annual meeting, GSA Connects 2024. This year’s meeting will take place in Anaheim, California, USA, 22–25 September.
The GSA/Chevron Field Trip Grant aims to support students or early career professionals in attending field trips during GSA Connects. GSA’s field trips provide valuable hands-on learning experiences, networking opportunities, ...
Nearly 3% of healthy adolescents use commercial CBD products, study finds
2024-05-22
Since cannabidiol (CBD), the non-intoxicating component of cannabis, was legalized in the United States by the 2018 Farm Bill, products containing the compound have flooded the consumer health sector. While there is a single FDA-approved medication containing CBD which can be used to treat rare forms of epilepsy, evidence for the efficacy of commercial CBD products, which generally contain low doses of CBD, is limited. However, this has not stopped their widespread and growing use.
Now, a new study published in Cannabis ...
Mimicking infection in pregnant mice provokes persistent changes in juvenile brains
2024-05-22
No parent wants to risk their child having a serious infection, least of all while still in the womb, but did you know that the immune response to a viral infection during pregnancy could also affect the development of the unborn offspring? Scientists from Harvard University in Cambridge, USA, have shown that immune reactions in pregnant mice are detected by a specific type of brain cell in the developing embryo and alter how genes are regulated in the brain – a change that persists in juvenile mice. Published today in the journal Development, this study provides ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Sensitive ceramics for soft robotics
Trends in hospitalizations and liver transplants associated with alcohol-induced liver disease
Spinal cord stimulation vs medical management for chronic back and leg pain
Engineered receptors help the immune system home in on cancer
How conflicting memories of sex and starvation compete to drive behavior
Scientists discover ‘entirely unanticipated’ role of protein netrin1 in spinal cord development
Novel SOURCE study examining development of early COPD in ages 30 to 55
NRL completes development of robotics capable of servicing satellites, enabling resilience for the U.S. space infrastructure
Clinical trial shows positive results for potential treatment to combat a challenging rare disease
New research shows relationship between heart shape and risk of cardiovascular disease
Increase in crisis coverage, but not the number of crisis news events
New study provides first evidence of African children with severe malaria experiencing partial resistance to world’s most powerful malaria drug
Texting abbreviations makes senders seem insincere, study finds
Living microbes discovered in Earth’s driest desert
Artemisinin partial resistance in Ugandan children with complicated malaria
When is a hole not a hole? Researchers investigate the mystery of 'latent pores'
ETRI, demonstration of 8-photon qubit chip for quantum computation
Remote telemedicine tool found highly accurate in diagnosing melanoma
New roles in infectious process for molecule that inhibits flu
Transforming anion exchange membranes in water electrolysis for green hydrogen production
AI method can spot potential disease faster, better than humans
A development by Graz University of Technology makes concreting more reliable, safer and more economical
Pinpointing hydrogen isotopes in titanium hydride nanofilms
Political abuse on X is a global, widespread, and cross-partisan phenomenon, suggests new study
Reintroduction of resistant frogs facilitates landscape-scale recovery in the presence of a lethal fungal disease
Scientists compile library for evaluating exoplanet water
Updated first aid guidelines enhance care for opioid overdose, bleeding, other emergencies
Revolutionizing biology education: Scientists film ‘giant’ mimivirus in action
Genetic variation enhances cancer drug sensitivity
Protective genetic mutation offers new hope for understanding autism and brain development
[Press-News.org] Transitioning gender identities is not linked with depressionA landmark longitudinal study of LGBTQ+ youths has found that transitioning gender identities is not associated with depression