Assessment of Quality of Life of Transgender and Gender-Diverse Children and Adolescents in Melbourne, Australia, 2017-2020

Transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) children and adolescents may experience not only gender dysphoria but also depression and anxiety, all of which are likely to be associated with reduced quality of life (QOL). Despite this, little is known about QOL in this population. To identify demographic, so...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:JAMA network open 2023-02, Vol.6 (2), p.e2254292-e2254292
Main Authors: Engel, Lidia, Majmudar, Ishani, Mihalopoulos, Cathrine, Tollit, Michelle A, Pang, Ken C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Australia - epidemiology
Child
Female
Gender Dysphoria - psychology
Gender Identity
Humans
Male
Mental Disorders - epidemiology
Online Only
Original Investigation
Pediatrics
Prospective Studies
Quality of Life - psychology
Surveys and Questionnaires
Transgender Persons - psychology
Transgender Persons - statistics & numerical data
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Summary:Transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) children and adolescents may experience not only gender dysphoria but also depression and anxiety, all of which are likely to be associated with reduced quality of life (QOL). Despite this, little is known about QOL in this population. To identify demographic, social, and clinical characteristics associated with reduced QOL in TGD children and adolescents; compare their QOL with age-matched population-based norms and that of young people with common mental health problems; and evaluate the association between gender dysphoria and QOL. In this cohort study, baseline data were derived from questionnaires completed in a prospective cohort study (Trans20) of TGD children aged 6 to 12 years and adolescents aged 13 to 17 years first seen at the Royal Children's Hospital Gender Service (Melbourne, Australia) between February 2017 and February 2020. The main outcome was QOL, measured using the Child Health Utility 9D instrument (CHU-9D). Data collection included demographic information, social factors (eg, bullying, lack of support, and social transition), and clinical characteristics (eg, gender identity, gender dysphoria, and mental health difficulties). Population norms and CHU-9D data for Australian youths with mental health diagnoses were derived from published literature. The TGD cohort comprised 525 children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 years (median age, 14 years [IQR, 12-16 years]; 364 [69.33%] presumed female at birth). The mean (SD) CHU-9D score was 0.46 (0.26). Compared with population norms, TGD children (0.58 [0.27] vs 0.81 [0.16]; P 
ISSN:2574-3805
2574-3805
DOI:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.54292