The influence of the severity of gender dysphoria on anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, and non-suicidal self-injury in Chinese transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse youth

Abstract

Background: Gender dysphoria (GD) is frequently reported among transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse (TNG) populations, and is closely related to anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). This study aimed to understand how GD influences the four mental health disparities among TNG youth, and to compare these outcomes depending on the severity of GD.Methods: 96,218 College students participated in the survey, of which the analysis was run on an extracted sub-set data of 2,315 (2.40%) TNG youth, with a mean age of 19.46 (SD = 1.52). Self-reported inventories measured sociodemographic factors, the severity of GD (Utrecht Gender Dysphoria Scale-Gender Spectrum), anxiety (seven-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire), depression (nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire), suicidal ideation (Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised), and NSSI (Clinician-Rated Severity of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Scale). Binary logistic regression assessed the association between significant GD and the four psychiatric disorders. Adjusted multiple logistic regression, and directed acyclic graph (DAG) analyses were conducted to explore the activating relationship among GD, sociodemographic factors, and psychiatric disorders.Results: 1,582 (68.30%) TNG youth who experienced significant levels of GD (total scores cutoff >= 46) were entered into the analyses. Binary logistic regression displayed significantly positive associations between significant GD and anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, and NSSI. Multiple regression models showed risk factors included poor relationship with one’s father/mother, tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, and having a lower subjective social status. While family harmony, a higher father’s educational level, and partaking in exercise were protective factors that exerted distinct impacts on these four psychiatric disorders. DAG findings showed a poor relationship with one’s father with significant GD via other socio-demographic characteristics, activated psychiatric disorders.Conclusions: TNG youth with higher levels of GD also exhibited more severe anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, and NSSI. Tailored interventions should be provided to prioritize relieving those with severe GD to protect TNG youth from psychiatric outcomes further.

Keywords:

• Anxiety
• depression
• gender diversity
• gender dysphoria
• non-binary transgender
• non-suicidal self-injury suicidal ideation
• transgender
• youth

Acknowledgments

We thank all the participants and staff involved in this study.

Author contributions

Conception and design of the study: Yuanyuan Wang, Shicun Xu; Data collection: Shicun Xu; Data quality control: Shicun Xu; Data analysis and all figures: Chang Chen; Manuscript write-up: Jiaqi Li, Yu Jin; Critical comments: Yuanyuan Wang, Amanda Wilson, Runsen Chen; Study supervision: Yuanyuan Wang.

Availability of data and materials

The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the corresponding authors, under reasonable requests.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Ethical standards

All respondents agreed to participate in the study, which was approved by the ethics committee at Jilin University.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China NSFC NO. 82201708, NO. 72304040 and the Guangdong Planning Office of Philosophy and Social Science Program GD23YXL01.