Nonmedical Gender-Affirming Supports and Resources Most Desired by Transgender and Non-Binary Adolescents

Nonmedical gender-affirming interventions, or social transition, for transgender and non-binary (TNB) adolescents are associated with positive physical and mental health outcomes. The purpose of this study was to identify the nonmedical support needs of greatest interest to TNB adolescents and explore how these interests vary by demographic characteristics.

Adolescents aged 13-17 whose gender identity or pronouns differed from their sex assigned at birth in the electronic health record were recruited to complete an electronic survey, which asked them to indicate their levels of interest in various nonmedical gender-affirming interventions on a five-point Likert scale. Descriptive statistics were used to identify nonmedical supports of greatest interest, and t-tests evaluated whether these varied by demographic characteristics.

TNB adolescents (n = 338) were most interested in legal name change (3.63 ± 1.87), seeing a therapist with experience caring for TNB youth (3.47 ± 1.70), and talking to a TNB adult (3.23 ± 1.63). Various significant differences emerged when comparing demographic groups, particularly among those who identified as non-binary, Black or African American, Asian, rural, and who were not out about their gender identity to their parents.

Findings from this study can inform future research and intervention development focused on the provision of nonmedical supports to TNB adolescents in diverse communities to improve their mental health and well-being.