Gender Diversity Among Youth Attending an Intensive Interdisciplinary Pain Treatment Program

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Pain Management
• Gender Identity Research
• Adolescent Health

Background:

• Chronic pain affects many youth, leading to distress and functional issues.
• Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) youth may face unique challenges.
• Limited research exists on TGD youth with chronic pain.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the experiences of TGD youth in a pediatric pain program.
• To compare outcomes for TGD and cisgender youth.
• To identify disparities in treatment completion.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective chart review of 491 participants in a pediatric intensive interdisciplinary pain treatment (IIPT) program.
• Analysis of demographic, psychological, and functional data.
• Comparison of outcomes between TGD and cisgender participants.

Main Results:

• 6.11% of participants identified as TGD.
• TGD participants reported greater baseline distress and impairment.
• Completing the IIPT program led to significant improvements for TGD youth.
• TGD youth were less likely to complete the IIPT program than cisgender peers.

Conclusions:

• Intensive interdisciplinary pain treatment can benefit TGD youth.
• Disparities in treatment completion exist for TGD youth.
• Clinical practice must address barriers to care for TGD youth.