Category: Eating disorders
-
“Gender questioning” adolescents may have very high rates of disordered eating.
In a cross-sectional study1 of 660 Australian adolescents described as “trans,” “non-binary” and “gender questioning,” adolescents who reported feeling unsure about their “gender identity” had the highest rates of nearly all symptoms of anorexia and bulimia.
- Kerr JA, Paine J, Thrower E, Hoq M, Mollica C, Sawyer SM, Azzopardi PS, Pang KC. Prevalence of Eating Disorder Symptoms in Transgender and Gender Diverse Adolescents Presenting for Gender-Affirming Care. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2024 Apr;74(4):850-853. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2023.11.396. Epub 2024 Jan 9. PMID: 38206224.
↩︎
- Kerr JA, Paine J, Thrower E, Hoq M, Mollica C, Sawyer SM, Azzopardi PS, Pang KC. Prevalence of Eating Disorder Symptoms in Transgender and Gender Diverse Adolescents Presenting for Gender-Affirming Care. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2024 Apr;74(4):850-853. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2023.11.396. Epub 2024 Jan 9. PMID: 38206224.
-
Nearly a quarter of adolescents seeking “gender-affirming care” report symptoms of anorexia.
In a cross-sectional study1 of 660 Australian adolescents described as “trans,” “non-binary” and “gender questioning,” 23.9% reported symptoms of anorexia. Prevalence of disordered eating was more common in female patients than in male, regardless of whether they identified as trans or non-binary.
- Kerr JA, Paine J, Thrower E, Hoq M, Mollica C, Sawyer SM, Azzopardi PS, Pang KC. Prevalence of Eating Disorder Symptoms in Transgender and Gender Diverse Adolescents Presenting for Gender-Affirming Care. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2024 Apr;74(4):850-853. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2023.11.396. Epub 2024 Jan 9. PMID: 38206224. ↩︎
-
Young people with “trans” identities are much more likely to have an eating disorder.
A study1 of data concerning 289,024 students from 223 U.S. universities found that students with a “trans” identity were almost four times more likely to have a self-reported eating disorder (OR: 4.62, 95% CI: 3.41-6.26) than their straight female peers. They were also about twice as likely to report past month use of diet pills (OR: 2.05, 95% CI: 1.48-2.83) and vomiting or laxatives (OR: 2.46, 95% CI: 1.83-3.30).
- Diemer EW, Grant JD, Munn-Chernoff MA, Patterson DA, Duncan AE. Gender Identity, Sexual Orientation, and Eating-Related Pathology in a National Sample of College Students. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2015 Aug;57(2):144-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2015.03.003. Epub 2015 Apr 28. PMID: 25937471; PMCID: PMC4545276. ↩︎
-
Up to half of trans-identified children show disordered eating.
In an analysis1 of research conducted in 2022-23, 20-50% of children expressing a “trans” identity reported engaging in some form of disordered eating. More than 30% screened positive for eating disorder symptoms, and up to 12% had received an eating disorder diagnosis.
- Keski-Rahkonen A. Eating disorders in transgender and gender diverse people: characteristics, assessment, and management. Current Opinion in Psychiatry. 2023 Nov 1;36(6):412-418. doi: 10.1097/YCO.0000000000000902. Epub 2023 Aug 29. PMID: 37781981.
↩︎
- Keski-Rahkonen A. Eating disorders in transgender and gender diverse people: characteristics, assessment, and management. Current Opinion in Psychiatry. 2023 Nov 1;36(6):412-418. doi: 10.1097/YCO.0000000000000902. Epub 2023 Aug 29. PMID: 37781981.
-
There seems to be a connection between disordered eating patterns and gender-related distress
In a review1 of 20 publications, a consistent theme emerged: transgender youth (aged 8 to 25) engaged in food restriction and/or compensatory eating behaviors to prevent puberty onset or progression.
The review suggested that, for some transgender youth, these behaviors may be understood as a means of coping with gender-related distress. However, the exact nature of this observed connection is uncertain.
- Coelho, J., Suen, J., Clark, B., Marshall, S., Geller, J. & Lam, P.-Y. (2019). Eating Disorder Diagnoses and Symptom Presentation in Transgender Youth: a Scoping Review. Current Psychiatry Reports 21. [Link] ↩︎
-
Transgender-identified youth are disproportionately likely to suffer from eating disorders
In a review1 of 20 publications, significantly higher rates of eating disorder symptoms were documented in transgender youth (aged between 8 and 25).
Another study2 corroborated this connection, noting that data, while scarce, suggest “an overrepresentation of eating pathology among adolescents with GD [gender dysphoria] or transgender identity.”
- Coelho, J., Suen, J., Clark, B., Marshall, S., Geller, J. & Lam, P.-Y. (2019). Eating Disorder Diagnoses and Symptom Presentation in Transgender Youth: a Scoping Review. Current Psychiatry Reports 21. [Link] ↩︎
- Kaltiala-Heino, R., Bergman, H., Työläjärvi, M., & Frisén, L. (2018). Gender dysphoria in adolescence: current perspectives. Adolescent health, medicine and therapeutics 9, 31–41. [Link] ↩︎