Transgender Identity and Childhood Trauma's Impact on Depression
Author Information
Author(s): Balakrishnan Siva, Yang Wei, Weber Ann M.
Primary Institution: School of Public Health, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, United States
Hypothesis
The association between adverse childhood experiences (ACE) and depression is modified by transgender identity and assigned sex at birth.
Conclusion
Transgender adults, especially those assigned female at birth, may experience a greater risk of depression due to childhood trauma compared to their cisgender counterparts.
Supporting Evidence
- 42.4% of transgender adults experienced 3+ adverse childhood experiences compared to 24.9% of cisgender adults.
- The association between ACE and depression was stronger for transgender adults regardless of assigned sex at birth.
- Transgender adults assigned female at birth with 1–2 ACE had a higher combined risk of depression than expected.
Takeaway
Transgender people who had tough childhoods might feel sadder as adults than those who didn't, especially if they were assigned female at birth.
Methodology
Data from the 2019 and 2020 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System surveys were analyzed using adjusted Poisson regressions.
Potential Biases
Potential misclassification of depression due to varying healthcare access among participants with different ACE.
Limitations
The study's sample was limited to 16 states, and transgender identity may be underestimated due to disclosure hesitancy.
Participant Demographics
The sample included 519 transgender and 127,214 cisgender adults, with a focus on those assigned female and male at birth.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.009
Confidence Interval
0.47–3.36
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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