Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Research Highlight
  • Published:

Quality of life

GAH treatment improves mental health in transgender adolescents

Nature Reviews Urology volume 20, page 129 (2023)Cite this article

Subjects

Results from a prospective study to assess psychosocial functioning in transgender and non-binary young people who received gender-affirming hormone (GAH) treatment were published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Overall, 315 participants (including transmasculine, transfeminine and non-binary individuals) aged 12–20 years were enrolled in the study. Psychosocial status was assessed through four validated instruments at 6, 12, 18 and 24 months after treatment start. Results from this study showed a reduction in depression and anxiety symptoms, and an increase in positive affect and life satisfaction after GAH treatment. The mechanism underlying this psychosocial well-being seems to be appearance congruence, which substantially improved after 2 years of GAH therapy.

In an Editorial accompanying this article, some outstanding concerns were highlighted, including the variability among participants — some of whom still experienced depression after 2 years — and the need to consider additional variants that might affect patient well-being — such as quality of peer relations and family and/or social support. However, the authors remark that this study provides much needed evidence that GAH therapy in transgender and non-binary adolescents is effective and safe, and has a positive effect on mental health.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

Original articles

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nature Reviews Urology http://www.nature.com/nrurol/

    Maria Chiara Masone

Authors
  1. Maria Chiara Masone
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Maria Chiara Masone.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Masone, M.C. GAH treatment improves mental health in transgender adolescents. Nat Rev Urol 20, 129 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41585-023-00728-z

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41585-023-00728-z

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing