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A Longitudinal Study on Disordered Eating in Transgender and Nonbinary Adolescents.
An H Pham1, Hana-May Eadeh2, Michelle M Garrison3
1Division of Adolescent Medicine, Seattle Children's Hospital (AH Pham and KR Ahrens), Seattle, Wash.
Academic Pediatrics
|January 1, 2023
Summary
Disordered eating is common in transgender and nonbinary adolescents, but did not significantly change within 12 months of starting gender-affirming care. Clinicians should screen for these behaviors throughout care.
Area of Science:
- Adolescent Health
- Mental Health
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Disordered eating is a significant concern among adolescents.
- Transgender and nonbinary (TGNB) youth face unique challenges that may impact mental health and eating behaviors.
- Limited research exists on the longitudinal trends of disordered eating in TGNB adolescents undergoing gender-affirming care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To longitudinally explore the frequency of disordered eating among transgender and nonbinary (TGNB) adolescents.
- To examine trends in disordered eating by gender identity and receipt of gender-affirming care.
- To assess the relationship between age and disordered eating in this population.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study involving 91 TGNB adolescents.
- Participants completed the abbreviated Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months.
- Descriptive statistics and multivariate linear regression analyses were used.
Main Results:
- High prevalence of disordered eating reported: 26% binge eating, 27% food limitation, 30% food exclusion.
- 40% reported at least one disordered eating behavior; 17% reported at least three.
- No significant differences in disordered eating by sex assigned at birth, gender identity, gender-affirming medications, or duration of care were observed. Age showed a significant effect (P=.003).
Conclusions:
- Disordered eating behaviors were frequently reported by TGNB adolescents but did not significantly change within the 12-month study period after initiating gender-affirming medical care.
- The high prevalence necessitates clinical screening for disordered eating throughout gender-affirming care for TGNB adolescents.
- Future research should include larger, diverse samples and longer follow-up periods to better understand these trends.
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