[Mental health of sexual and gender minority youth in Austria: scoping review and research agenda based on international evidence]

Predictors of mental health during young people's transition from out-of-home care in Austria

BACKGROUND

Care leavers are often disadvantaged in terms of their mental health compared to the general population. The factors influencing care leavers' mental health in the third decade of their lives have so far not been studied systematically.

OBJECTIVE

Based on a resource model, external contextual factors before, during and after out-of-home care are examined with regard to their positive or negative effects on mental health.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

The sample consists of 121 care leavers, born between 1987 and 1997 and aged between 20 and 29 at the time of the paper-and-pencil survey. The participants had been in out-of-home care for at least two years and left care at the age of 16 or later.

METHODS

Multiple hierarchical regression analysis with pairwise deletion and bootstrapping was used to identify predictors of mental health. The final model explains 27 % of the variance in the dependent variable "mental health" and is significant.

RESULTS

Emotional abuse by parents (β = -0.187; p = 0.027) before out-of-home care is negatively associated, but a longer length of stay (β = 0.202; p = 0.023) and support from friends (β = 0.227; p = 0.015) during out-of-home care, as well as an independent economic status (β = 0.326; p < 0.001) and a romantic relationship (β = 0.160; p = 0.044) after the transition show positive correlations with mental health.

CONCLUSIONS

The results point to the need for support in building social relationships and sufficient psychosocial support during and after out-of-home care.

Analyzing body dissatisfaction and gender dysphoria in the context of minority stress among transgender adolescents

BACKGROUND

Gender dysphoria among transgender adolescents has predominantly been examined in relation to body dissatisfaction. While in adult transgender samples, body dissatisfaction is higher than in cisgender controls, this has so far rarely been investigated for adolescents. In the context of a cisnormative society, the impact of influences from the social environment on body dissatisfaction and gender dysphoria has been neglected in research. Therefore, this study aimed to (1) provide a detailed analysis of body dissatisfaction among young transgender people and (2) investigate whether body dissatisfaction and gender dysphoria are associated with experiences of minority stress such as trans hostility and poor peer relations (PPR).

METHODS

The paper presents a cross-sectional study among a sample of transgender adolescents, presenting at a specialized outpatient counseling clinic (N = 99; age M = 15.36, SD = 1.85). First, body dissatisfaction (assessed by the Body-Image-Scale; BIS), was explored and compared to data from a population-based control group of cisgender peers (N = 527; age M = 14.43, SD = 0.97). Second, within a clinic-referred transgender subsample (n = 74), associations between body dissatisfaction and gender dysphoria (measured by Utrecht Gender Dysphoria Scale; UGDS), PPR (measured by the Youth-Self-Report; YSR-R), and trans hostile experiences (assessed in clinical interview) were examined by correlations, t-tests and multivariate regression.

RESULTS

Transgender adolescents reported more body dissatisfaction than cisgender peers. The dissatisfaction with sex characteristics, non-hormonal reactive body regions and the total score for body dissatisfaction were positively related with gender dysphoria. The majority had experienced trans hostility in the present and/or past (54.1%) and PPR (63.5%). More body dissatisfaction was correlated with more PPR regarding visible body parts i.e., hair, overall appearance and muscles, whilst PPR and gender dysphoria were not associated. Transgender adolescents who experienced trans hostility showed higher gender dysphoria and PPR, but not more body dissatisfaction. In multiple regression, trans hostility predicted gender dysphoria, whilst age and PPR predicted body dissatisfaction.

DISCUSSION

Experiences of minority-stress differentially interact with body dissatisfaction and gender dysphoria among transgender adolescents. Social correlates of body dissatisfaction and gender dysphoria must be considered when working with young transgender people.