Report

Healthcare Mistreatment is Associated With Psychological Distress, Suicidality, and Substance Use Among Transgender and Nonbinary Emerging Adults

December 2024

Using data from the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey, this study examines the association between experiences of health care mistreatment and mental health issues and substance use among transgender and nonbinary young adults who had sought health care services in the past year. It appeared in Emerging Adulthood in December 2024.

AUTHORS
  • Jordon D. Bosse
    University of Rhode Island
  • Lane Z. Kantor
    Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
  • Yu-Chi Wang
    Boston Children's Hospital
  • R. Korkodilos
    Boston Children's Hospital
  • Sari L. Reisner
    Assistant Professor, Harvard School of Public Health
  • Diane Ehrensaft
    UCSF Benoiff Children's Hospital
  • Jody L. Herman
    Senior Scholar of Public Policy
  • Sabra L. Katz-Wise
    Harvard Medical School
Highlights
The most common health care mistreatment was having to educate providers and verbal abuse from providers.
More than half of the trans and nonbinary sample reported symptoms consistent with serious mental distress.
Nearly one-third reported either binge drinking, illicit substance use, or prescription misuse.
Data Points
20%
of the TNB sample had to educate health care providers

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Healthcare Mistreatment is Associated With Psychological Distress, Suicidality, and Substance Use Among Transgender and Nonbinary Emerging Adults