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A longitudinal study exploring the role of mental health symptoms and social support regarding life satisfaction 18 months after initiation of gender-affirming hormone treatment

Aldridge, Zoe
; 
Thorne, Nat
; 
Bouman, Walter P.
; 
Arcelus, Jon
Abstract
While positive changes in mental health have been found following gender-affirming hormone treatment (GAHT), it is unclear how pre-GAHT mental health and social support can influence treatment outcomes. To address this, a retrospective longitudinal design was used in which 137 participants completed measures of social support, anxiety, and depression prior to GAHT (T0) and a measure of life satisfaction 18 months after GAHT (T1). The data showed no significant differences in life satisfaction at T1 based on T0 caseness of anxiety or depression. It was also found that T1 life satisfaction was not predicted by levels of anxiety, depression, or social support at T0. The lack of significant differences in life satisfaction at 18 months post-GAHT based on pre-GAHT mental health, coupled with no evidence for the predictive role social support suggest that these factors are not central to long-term life satisfaction. For many, lower mental wellbeing may be part of the experience of awaiting GAHT and should not be regarded as indicative of longer-term issues. Instead, facilitation of social support connections and mental health support should be offered both concurrently with, and for those awaiting, GAHT.
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Date
2023
Type
Article
Subject
Mental health
 Gender dysphoria
 Transgender persons
 Social support
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NottsHC Gender Dysphoria
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Aldridge, Z., Thorne, N., Bouman, W. P., Witcomb, G. L. & Arcelus, J. (2023). A longitudinal study exploring the role of mental health symptoms and social support regarding life satisfaction 18 months after initiation of gender-affirming hormone treatment. Healthcare, 11 (3), pp.379.
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https://mider.dspace7.openrepository.com/handle/20.500.12904/17123
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Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).
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