Pickstone-Taylor Simon D, Davids Eugene L, de Bever Graham N, de Vries Petrus J
Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
S Afr J Psychiatr. 2024 Apr 17;30:2160. doi: 10.4102/sajpsychiatry.v30i0.2160. eCollection 2024.
Despite a massive global increase in research on gender-diverse youth, there have been no studies in Africa on gender-diverse children and adolescents presenting to health services.
This study aimed to present the first African findings of the demographic and mental health profile of youth who have presented at a gender service in South Africa.
A specialist mental health outpatient service, consisting of psychiatry, psychology and nursing input, for gender-diverse child and adolescent patients in the Western Cape.
All consenting youth seen at a gender service, consisting of psychiatry, psychology and nursing input, in state and by the same clinician in private practice between January 2012 and May 2019 were participants of a retrospective, sequential case series study. Data of interest, including gender identity and sexuality, mental health history and social information, were extracted from the psychiatry files of participants.
Thirty-nine participants were part of the registry and qualified for the study: 72% self-identified as white, 15% as coloured and 13% as black African. The rate of co-occurring psychopathology was high (64%) and included high rates of autism, particularly in trans males (26%), suicidal ideation in 31% and a history of suicide attempt(s) in 10%.
This first study describing gender-diverse youth seeking support relating to their gender identity in Africa showed they had remarkable similarities to those studied internationally.
Establishing that transgender youth of all major racial groups in the province with similar demographic profiles to other parts of the world are presenting to services in South Africa and in need of mental health support and interventions.
尽管全球对性别多样化青少年的研究大幅增加，但非洲尚未有关于向卫生服务机构就诊的性别多样化儿童和青少年的研究。
本研究旨在呈现南非一家性别服务机构中青少年的人口统计学和心理健康状况的首批非洲研究结果。
西开普省为性别多样化的儿童和青少年患者提供的专科心理健康门诊服务，由精神病学、心理学和护理专业人员提供服务。
2012年1月至2019年5月期间，在该性别服务机构就诊的所有同意参与研究的青少年，包括公立和私立机构中由同一位临床医生诊治的患者，均参与了一项回顾性、连续性病例系列研究。从参与者的精神病学档案中提取了包括性别认同和性取向、心理健康史和社会信息等相关数据。
39名参与者被纳入登记并符合研究条件：72%自我认定为白人，15%为混血人种，13%为非洲黑人。共病精神病理学的发生率较高（64%），包括自闭症发生率较高，尤其是在跨性别男性中（26%），31%有自杀意念，10%有自杀未遂史。
这项首次描述非洲性别多样化青少年寻求与其性别认同相关支持的研究表明，他们与国际上研究的青少年有显著相似之处。
证实该省所有主要种族群体中，具有与世界其他地区相似人口统计学特征的跨性别青少年正在南非寻求服务，且需要心理健康支持和干预。
