Only four of the 46 studies reviewed by the UK Government focused exclusively on conversion therapy for gender identity, and none focused exclusively on the practice in the UK

The very small number of studies on gender-identity change efforts means that the evidence base is extremely limited.

A 2021 UK Government assessment reviewed 46 studies concerning conversion therapy. Of these, 41 focused exclusively on sexual orientation (89%), four focused exclusively on gender identity (9%), and one examined experiences relating to either sexual orientation or gender identity (2%).

Of the four gender-identity studies, three were conducted in the United States and one was a systematic review of international evidence. The assessment found no study focusing exclusively on conversion therapy for gender identity in the UK.

The accompanying Government-commissioned review found that conversion therapy appeared to occur most commonly in religious settings and that exposure was consistently associated with holding certain conservative religious beliefs. It also cautioned that most of the research originated in North America and might not reflect how conversion therapy operates elsewhere. Given the importance of religious context, the direct applicability of predominantly US evidence to UK policy should not simply be assumed.

The systematic review was itself limited by the scarcity of available research. The Government assessment also found little UK evidence concerning the nature, frequency, duration or characteristics of practices described as conversion therapy for gender identity, or people’s subsequent experiences.

The evidence available to inform UK policy specifically on gender-identity change efforts is therefore extremely limited and heavily reliant on US research.

^{Government Equalities Office. (2021). An assessment of the evidence on conversion therapy for sexual orientation and gender identity. UK Government. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/an-assessment-of-the-evidence-on-conversion-therapy-for-sexual-orientation-and-gender-identity/}

_{^{Jowett, A., Brady, G., Goodman, S., Pillinger, C., & Bradley, L. (2021). Conversion therapy: An evidence assessment and qualitative study. Government Equalities Office. UK Government report}}