Major Study on Transgender Youth Health Care to Begin in U.K.
Researchers plan to track the mental and physical well-being of up to 3,000 children and teenagers who have a gender identity that differs from their sex at birth, and who have sought treatment from the country's National Health Service. They will carry out annual surveys that look at their quality of life, body image and gender identity.
The study is part of a wider 10.7 million pound, or about $14 million, initiative from King's College that aims to find out how Britain's health service can best support trans and gender nonconforming children and young people. It is funded by the N.H.S. and by the government's clinical research agency.
Last year, puberty-blocking drugs were banned in Britain for children under the age of 18, except in clinical trials, following the publication of a landmark review released by Dr. Hilary Cass, an independent British pediatrician. Dr. Cass argued that there was an urgent need for more robust research into youth gender treatments, saying: 'The reality is that we have no good evidence on the long-term outcomes of interventions to manage gender-related distress.'
The new study will track young people's physical, social and emotional well-being, and the care they receive over time, the researchers said. Participation in the study will be voluntary and it will be observational in nature, meaning researchers will not alter any treatments the children are receiving. The researchers will survey the individuals and their parents or caretakers over several years without providing additional interventions.
'What is clear from the current evidence as highlighted is there's no single story or experience that defines these young people,' Dr. Michael Absoud, a chief investigator on the study who specializes in pediatric neuroscience, said. 'This study is about listening to them — understanding their stories and their journeys and building a robust evidence base that reflects that diversity,' he added.
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