Category: Maladaptive Coping Strategy
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High psychiatric burden suggests complex underlying mental health needs in gender-referred adolescents.
In a nationwide Finnish register study, adolescents referred to gender identity services showed markedly elevated rates of specialist psychiatric treatment both before and after referral, with a substantial proportion already engaged in mental healthcare prior to contact. After medical transition, they remained three- to six-fold more likely to require psychiatric care than matched controls. While the study does not assess psychological mechanisms or coping strategies, the high and persistent comorbidity indicates that gender-related healthcare seeking may occur in the context of broader and complex mental health difficulties in some individuals.
Ruuska, S.-M., Tuisku, K., Holttinen, T., and Kaltiala, R. (2026). “Psychiatric Morbidity Among Adolescents and Young Adults Who Contacted Specialised Gender Identity Services in Finland in 1996–2019: A Register Study,” Acta Paediatrica: 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1111/apa.70533.