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Here at GIDS we are always thinking about the best way to support all young people who come to our service. Some of this thinking includes contributing to or being involved in research studies. Other ways that GIDS and the clinicians who work here add to the evidence base is through papers in medical journals or presentations at conferences. Below are some projects that are underway, and some that are completed.
We have linked to the items that are published, but some might be behind a paywall depending on the journal in which they appear.
We wanted to understand the kinds of journeys that young people took through our service, to improve the care and support that we provide, so in 2020 we analysed key data on two different groups of young people, to understand the pathways that they took.
Read about the pathways they took
This study, published in February 2021 in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE, looks at psychosocial functioning, quality of life and treatment pathways after GnRHa pubertal suppression in young adolescents with gender dysphoria.
The study shows that puberty blockers are a well-received intervention in carefully selected patients.
From the introduction to the study: “Pubertal suppression by means of gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues (GnRHa) has gained increasing acceptance internationally as a recommended treatment option for young people of tanner stages two and over with gender dysphoria (GD), yet there is limited evidence of the psychosocial and physical outcomes of the treatment in this group. We prospectively evaluated the psychological, social and physical risks and benefits involved in pubertal suppression in a group of young people with gender dysphoria.”
Read more about the Early Intervention Study.
Read the paper on the PLOS ONE website.
The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust has been awarded £1.3 million by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) to carry out an independent study that will inform better, more individualised care for young people and their families struggling with issues relating to gender identity.
This new Longitudinal Outcomes of Gender Identity in Children (LOGiC) study is innovative and will include both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Uniquely, an independent team of researchers will follow a whole group of volunteer young people. The young people will be recruited from among those who have been referred to the Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS). The study will follow these young people, whether they remain in contact with NHS services or not, regardless of their path. This will allow the independent researchers to compare and investigate outcomes for the entire cohort, including both those who go on to use physical interventions (such as hormone blockers) and those who do not. The findings generated from this research will enable services to provide better care for patients and their families.
Visit the LOGiC study website.
We recognise that puberty and the physical changes that it brings can be distressing for some people. Many, although not all, of the adolescents we see consider at some point having physical interventions (such as hormone blockers) through our service. There are also many people who choose not to have physical interventions.
Learn more about puberty, and our approach to assessment and intervention here
Trajectories of transgender adolescents referred for endocrine intervention in EnglandUna Masic, Gary Butler, Paul Carruthers, Polly CarmichaelArchives of Disease in Childhoodhttps://adc.bmj.com/content/early/2022/07/28/archdischild-2022-324283.full
Discharge outcome analysis of 1089 transgender young people referred to paediatric endocrine clinics in England 2008–2021Gary Butler, Kirpal Adu-Gyamfi, Kerry Clarkson, Ranna El Khairi, Sara Kleczewski, Alice Roberts, Terry Y Segal, Karththeepan Yogamanoharan, Sabah Alvi, Nadia Amin, Paul Carruthers, Stacey Dover, Joanna Eastman, Talat Mushtaq, Una Masic, Polly CarmichaelArchives of Disease in Childhoodhttps://adc.bmj.com/content/early/2022/07/18/archdischild-2022-324302
Supporting young people to manage gender-related distress using third-wave cognitive behavioural theory, ideas and practiceCanvin, L., Hawthorne, O., & Panting, H. (2022)Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 1-17https://doi.org/10.1177/13591045211068729
Service user engagement by ethnicity groups at a children’s gender identity service in the UK. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry,Manjra, I. I., Russell, I., Maninger, J. K., & Masic, U. (2022)https://doi.org/10.1177/13591045221102650
Key socio-demographic characteristics of children and adolescents with gender dysphoria: a British Isles surveillance studyKhadr, S., Masic, U., Clarke, V., Lynn, R M., Holt V., Carmichael, P. (2022).Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatryhttps://doi.org/10.1177/13591045221108840
1. Short-term outcomes of pubertal suppression in a selected cohort of 12 to 15 year old young people with persistent gender dysphoria in the UK.Carmichael, P., Butler, G., Masic, U., Cole, T. J., De Stavola, B. L., Davidson, S., … & Viner, R. M. (2021).PLoS One, 16(2), e0243894. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0243894
2. Gender identity development in children and young people: A systematic review of longitudinal studies. Stynes, H., Lane, C., Pearson, B., Wright, T., Ranieri, V., Masic, U., & Kennedy, E. (2021).Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry.https://doi.org/10.1177/13591045211002620
3. How do mental health professionals describe their experiences of providing care for gender diverse adults? A systematic literature review.Canvin, L., Twist, J., & Solomons, W. (2021).Psychology & Sexuality.https://doi.org/10.1080/19419899.2021.1916987
4. Gender diversity and autism spectrum conditions in children and adolescents: A narrative review of the methodologies used by quantitative studiesManjra, I., & Masic, U. (2021).Journal of Clinical Psychology, pp1-18https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.23249
6. Psychological Functioning in Non-binary Identifying Adolescents and AdultsDe Graaf, N., Huisman, B., Cohen-Kettenis, P.T., Twist, T., Hage, K., Carmichael, P., Kreukels, B.P.C., & Steensma, T.D. (2021)Journal of Sex & Marital Therapyhttps://doi.org/10.1080/0092623X.2021.1950087
7. Longitudinal Outcomes of Gender Identity in Children (LOGIC): protocol for a prospective longitudinal cohort study of children referred to the UK gender identity development service.Kennedy, E., Spinner, L., Lane, C., Stynes, H., Ranieri, V., Carmichael, P., … & King, M. (2021). BMJ open, 11(9), e045628https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/11/9/e045628
1. Association of Media Coverage of Transgender and Gender Diverse Issues with Rates of Referral of Transgender Children and Adolescents to Specialist Gender Clinics in the UK and Australia.Pang, K. C., De Graaf, N. M., Chew, D., Hoq, M., Keith, D. R., Carmichael, P., & Steensma, T. D. (2020). JAMA Network Open, 3(7), e2011161-e2011161.https://dx.doi.org/10.1001%2Fjamanetworkopen.2020.11161
2. Time trends in referrals to child and adolescent gender identity services: a study in four Nordic countries and in the UK. Kaltiala, R., Bergman, H., Carmichael, P., De Graaf, N. M., Egebjerg Rischel, K., Frisén, L., … & Waehre, A. (2020). Nordic Journal of Psychiatry, 74(1), 40-44https://doi.org/10.1080/08039488.2019.1667429
3. Debate: You can’t take politics out of the debate on gender‐diverse childrenWren, B. (2020). . Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 25(1), 40-42.https://doi.org/10.1111/camh.12350
4. Non-binary Lives: An Anthology of Intersecting Identities.Smith, J. J., Jas, Y., Tolu, L., Tolu, M., McCarthy, K., Janib, A., … & Lord, E. (2020). Edited by J. Twist. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.https://uk.jkp.com/products/nonbinary-lives
5. A Longitudinal Study of Features Associated with Autism Spectrum in Clinic Referred, Gender Diverse Adolescents Accessing Puberty Suppression TreatmentRussell, I., Pearson, B., & Masic, U. (2020). . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 1-9.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04698-8
6. A psychological support group for parents in the care of families with gender diverse children and adolescents.Caldarera, A., Davidson, S. Vitiello, B., & Baietto, C. (2020).Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatryhttps://doi.org/10.1177/1359104520963372
We worked with the journal of Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry to create a Special Issue about ‘transgender identity’. The issue includes a group of papers that originated from our work. you can see links to many of the articles below.