Socioeconomic characteristics, health and wellbeing of nonbinary adolescents in a Southern European City.

BACKGROUND

Research on the health and well-being of non-binary adolescents is limited, with most studies conducted in Anglo-Saxon and Northern European countries, often relying on non-representative samples. This study aimed to: (1) compare the socioeconomic characteristics of cisgender and nonbinary adolescents in secondary education; (2) examine differences in experiences of discrimination and problematic relationships with family and peers; (3) compare substance use between cisgender and nonbinary adolescents; and (4) analyze gender identity differences in health and wellbeing outcomes.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study used data from the 2021 FRESC Health Survey on Adolescence in Barcelona. The survey is based on a representative sample of secondary education students aged 13-19. The final sample size consisted of 3,272 individuals (62 identified as nonbinary). Respondents answered questions covering experiences of discrimination, problematic relationships, substance use, and a wide range of health and well-being variables. Logistic regression models, adjusted for socioeconomic variables, were used to test the associations between gender identity and the various health-related variables.

RESULTS

In the sample, 1.9% identified as nonbinary (2.6% among those assigned female at birth and 1.2% among those assigned male at birth). Nonbinary individuals were younger, more likely to have a lower socioeconomic status, live in single-mother households, and have a mother born outside Catalonia. Overall, nearly all health-related outcomes, except for substance use, were worse for cisgender girls but, particularly, for nonbinary individuals, compared to cisgender boys.

CONCLUSION

Cisgender girls and, especially, nonbinary adolescents report lower well-being compared to cisgender boys across a range of well-being domains. These findings highlight the importance of expanding research on nonbinary adolescents and incorporating questions about gender identity in health surveys, while also distinguishing between cisgender boys and girls. Additionally, targeted interventions are essential to support young people in expressing and living authentically in alignment with their gender identity.