Barriers to health care and mental health among parents of transgender and gender diverse youth
Reference
Martin-Storey A, Abreu RL, Toomey RB, Gattamorta KA. (2025). Barriers to health care and mental health among parents of transgender and gender diverse youth. Transgender Health.
Abstract
Health care barriers are linked to family-level stress. This study examined how barriers to gender-affirming health care were associated with anxiety and depressive symptoms among parents of transgender and gender diverse (TGD) youth (ages 9–18). Parents of TGD youth from across the United States completed a survey on barriers to accessing gender-affirming health care for their child, as well as on their own anxiety and depressive symptoms (n = 1197). Experiencing barriers to gender-affirming health care were associated with higher parent anxiety and depressive symptoms, suggesting that limiting service access is linked with negative outcomes among parents of TGD youth.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1089/trgh.2023.0177