Leslie F. Clark

Parental Support and Mental Health Among Transgender Adolescents

PURPOSE Family support is protective against health risks in sexual minority individuals. However, few studies have focused specifically on transgender youth, who often experience rejection, marginalization, and victimization that place them at risk for poor mental health. This study investigated the relationships among parental support, quality of life, and depression in transgender adolescents. METHODS A total of 66 transgender youth presenting for care at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles completed a survey assessing parental support (defined as help, advice, and confidante support), quality of life, and depression. Regression analyses assessed the associations between parental support and mental health outcomes. RESULTS Parental support was significantly associated with higher life satisfaction, lower perceived burden of being transgender, and fewer depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS Parental support is associated with higher quality of life and is protective against depression in transgender adolescents. Interventions that promote parental support may significantly affect the mental health of transgender youth.

Prevalence and correlates of HIV testing in a multi-site sample of young men who have sex with men

Abstract This study assessed HIV testing among 2,621 urban young men who have sex with men (YMSM). Of these, 77% were men of colour, 30% reported recent unprotected anal intercourse (UAI), 22% had never tested for HIV and 71% had not tested recently. Ever testing was associated with older age (OR=1.28), being employed (OR=1.34), exposure to more types of HIV preventions (linear trend p=0.02), sex with a main partner (OR=1.92), sex with a non-main partner (OR=1.36), UAI with a non-main partner (OR=0.53), UAI in the last three months (OR=1.32), knowing a comfortable place for testing (OR=5.44) and social support (OR=1.47). Rates of ever testing increased with behavioural risk with main partners; rates were lowest for men reporting high-risk with non-main partners. Recent testing was associated with greater numbers of HIV-prevention exposures (linear trend p=<0.001), sex with a main partner (OR=1.30), knowing a comfortable place for testing (OR=2.31) and social support (OR=1.23). Findings underscore the urgency of promoting testing among YMSM, point to components for the recruitment and retention of young MSM of colour in testing programmes and highlight the need for a theory-based approach to intervention development.

The gender affirmative model: What we know and what we aim to learn

in which he stated: ‘‘Cur-rently experts can’t tell apart kids who outgrow gender dysphoria (desisters) from those who do not (persisters), and how to treat them is controversial’’ [Drescher, 2013, p. 1]. As members of a four-site child gender clinic group, we concur with Dr. Drescher regarding the controversy, but take issue with his assessment of experts and their inability to differentially assess ‘‘persisters’’ and ‘‘desisters’’ in childhood. We would like to take this opportunity to outline the gender affirmative model from which we practice, dispel myths about this model, and briefly outline the state of knowledge in our field regarding facilitators of healthy psychosocial development in gender-nonconforming children. The major premises informing our modes of prac-tice include: (a) gender variations are not disorders; (b) gender presentations are di-verse and varied across cultures, therefore requiring our cultural sensitivity; (c) to the best of our knowledge at present, gender involves an interweaving of biology, devel-opment and socialization, and culture and context, with all three bearing on any in-dividual’s gender self; (d) gender may be fluid, and is not binary, both at a particular time and if and when it changes within an individual across time; (e) if there is pathol-ogy, it more often stems from cultural reactions (e.g., transphobia, homophobia, sex-ism) rather than from within the child.Our goals within this model are to listen to the child and decipher with the help of parents or caregivers what the child is communicating about both gender identity and gender expressions. We define gender identity as the gender the child articulates

Coming of age on the streets: Survival sex among homeless young women in Hollywood

This study examined childhood physical or sexual abuse, involvement in dependency or delinquency systems, psychiatric hospitalization, and suicide as possible risk factors for survival sex among homeless young women. Homeless young women were found to have similarly high rates of childhood sexual abuse, dependency and delinquency systems involvement, and psychiatric hospitalization. Homeless young women involved in survival sex disclosed higher rates of attempted suicide and reported marginally higher rates of childhood physical abuse. Analysis of qualitative data showed that those engaged in survival sex were motivated primarily by desperation to meet basic needs including a place to stay, food and money, and one third mentioned that peers commonly were influential in decisions to engage in survival sex. Others were influenced by coercion (10%) or pursuit of drugs (10%). Young women engaged in survival sex generally experienced regret and shame about their experience.

Acceptability and Feasibility of a Cell Phone Support Intervention for Youth Living with HIV with Nonadherence to Antiretroviral Therapy

A pilot randomized clinical trial of youth ages 15-24 nonadherent to antiretroviral therapy (ART) utilizing daily cell phone support was found to have significant improvement in self-reported adherence and HIV RNA. Understanding acceptability and feasibility is critical for future implementation in clinic settings. Exit interviews were obtained from participants and adherence facilitators (AF). Acceptability was assessed from content analysis of exit interviews. Feasibility was assessed via intervention retention and study retention rates. Thirty-seven eligible youth were enrolled with 19 assigned to the intervention. Seven (37%) discontinued the intervention either due to missing over 20% of calls for two consecutive months (N=5) or missing 10 consecutive calls (N=2). Sixteen participants completed exit interviews, 15 reported the call length was just right, 13 reported they would have liked to continue calls after the 24-week intervention, and all participants reported they would recommend the intervention to friends. Scheduling and making calls required less than 1 h per week per participant. Providing cell phone support to youth nonadherent to ART was acceptable and feasible. While the cost is low compared to the price of ART, healthcare systems will need to explore how to cover the cost of providing cell phones (incentive).

Papa Was a Rolling Stone and I Am Too: Paternal Caregiving and Its Influence on the Sexual Behavior of Low-Income African American Men

This study focuses on the relationship between the level of paternal caregiving received as a child and its influence on the development of personal attachment style as adults, and whether or not the affected child experiences monogamy. To test this relationship, a sample of 266 low-income, African American males between the ages of 16 and 78, recruited from an inner-city sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinic in the Southeast, are analyzed. Multivariate and logistic regression analysis reveals that: (a) paternal care predicts the level of anxious attachment style of the respondent and (b) the level of paternal care, anxious attachment, and presence of the father significantly predicts the experience of monogamous relationships with women.

The influence of motivational messages on future planning behaviors among HIV concordant positive and discordant couples in Lusaka Zambia.

Abstract In Zambia the HIV/AIDS epidemic has resulted in many single female-headed households. Strong patriarchal laws and customs prevent widows and children from maintaining economic assets. This study examines the impact of a video-based motivational intervention promoting future planning in 1,504 HIV-infected couples in Lusaka, Zambia. Following a group video session, couples randomized to the motivational arm could choose to write a will, identify a guardian for their children and make financial plans. Desirable behaviours modelled in the motivational video were measured at quarterly intervals for a year and compared in intervention and control arms. Demographic measures including age, income and educational status were not associated with planning behaviours. Participation in the intervention was associated with will writing (23% versus 5%) and naming a guardian (32% versus 17%) but not with other planning behaviours. The study demonstrates the ability of motivational messages integrated into HIV VCT to encourage future planning behaviour and points to the need to expand existing HIV and VCT services to meet other non-health needs of those living with HIV.

Chest Reconstruction and Chest Dysphoria in Transmasculine Minors and Young Adults: Comparisons of Nonsurgical and Postsurgical Cohorts

Importance Transmasculine youth, who are assigned female at birth but have a gender identity along the masculine spectrum, often report considerable distress after breast development (chest dysphoria). Professional guidelines lack clarity regarding referring minors (defined as people younger than 18 years) for chest surgery because there are no data documenting the effect of chest surgery on minors. Objective To examine the amount of chest dysphoria in transmasculine youth who had had chest reconstruction surgery compared with those who had not undergone this surgery. Design, Setting, and Participants Using a novel measure of chest dysphoria, this cohort study at a large, urban, hospital-affiliated ambulatory clinic specializing in transgender youth care collected survey data about testosterone use and chest distress among transmasculine youth and young adults. Additional information about regret and adverse effects was collected from those who had undergone surgery. Eligible youth were 13 to 25 years old, had been assigned female at birth, and had an identified gender as something other than female. Recruitment occurred during clinical visits and via telephone between June 2016 and December 2016. Surveys were collected from participants who had undergone chest surgery at the time of survey collection and an equal number of youth who had not undergone surgery. Main Outcomes and Measures Outcomes were chest dysphoria composite score (range 0-51, with higher scores indicating greater distress) in all participants; desire for chest surgery in patients who had not had surgery; and regret about surgery and complications of surgery in patients who were postsurgical. Results Of 136 completed surveys, 68 (50.0%) were from postsurgical participants, and 68 (50.0%) were from nonsurgical participants. At the time of the survey, the mean (SD) age was 19 (2.5) years for postsurgical participants and 17 (2.5) years for nonsurgical participants. Chest dysphoria composite score mean (SD) was 29.6 (10.0) for participants who had not undergone chest reconstruction, which was significantly higher than mean (SD) scores in those who had undergone this procedure (3.3 [3.8]; P < .001). Among the nonsurgical cohort, 64 (94%) perceived chest surgery as very important, and chest dysphoria increased by 0.33 points each month that passed between a youth initiating testosterone therapy and undergoing surgery. Among the postsurgical cohort, the most common complication of surgery was loss of nipple sensation, whether temporary (59%) or permanent (41%). Serious complications were rare and included postoperative hematoma (10%) and complications of anesthesia (7%). Self-reported regret was near 0. Conclusions and Relevance Chest dysphoria was high among presurgical transmasculine youth, and surgical intervention positively affected both minors and young adults. Given these findings, professional guidelines and clinical practice should consider patients for chest surgery based on individual need rather than chronologic age.

Young men and the morning after: a missed opportunity for emergency contraception provision?

Objectives Although adolescents and young adults of lower socioeconomic status (SES) are disproportionately affected by unintended pregnancies, research on experiences with emergency contraception (EC) in this population has lagged. Furthermore, it is unclear whether EC-related knowledge and behaviour varies between young men and women. This study investigated knowledge, attitudes and experiences with EC among low SES young men and women aged 18–25 years. Methods One hundred and ninety-eight new enrollees at two Los Angeles primary medical care clinics completed surveys about their knowledge, past use and likelihood of using EC. Chi square (χ2) and regression analyses assessed gender differences in knowledge and attitudes. Results Women were more likely than men to accurately answer questions about EC and its use. Across both sexes, accurate knowledge predicted future willingness to use EC. Only half the women and a third of men knew that EC could be directly dispensed by pharmacists; even fewer knew that the legal access age for EC was 17 years (13%) or that men could access EC from pharmacies for their female partners (24%). Although respondents most commonly reported that friends were their source of current information about EC, both men and women chose health care professionals as their desired source of future information about EC. Conclusions Young men in this sample were significantly less knowledgeable than young women about EC. Educating young men about EC by health care providers during routine visits may be a unique opportunity to increase EC knowledge, access and use among low-income young couples to decrease undesired pregnancies.

Physiologic Response to Gender-Affirming Hormones Among Transgender Youth

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to examine the physiologic impact of hormones on youth with gender dysphoria. These data represent follow-up data in youth ages 12-23 years over a two-year time period of hormone administration. METHODS This prospective, longitudinal study initially enrolled 101 youth with gender dysphoria at baseline from those presenting consecutively for care between February 2011 and June 2013. Physiologic data at baseline and follow-up were abstracted from medical charts. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics. RESULTS Of the initial 101 participants, 59 youth had follow-up physiologic data collected between 21 and 31 months after initiation of hormones available for analysis. Metabolic parameters changes were not clinically significant, with the exception of sex steroid levels, intended to be the target of intervention. CONCLUSIONS Although the impact of hormones on some historically concerning physiologic parameters, including lipids, potassium, hemoglobin, and prolactin, were statistically significant, clinical significance was not observed. Hormone levels physiologically concordant with gender of identity were achieved with feminizing and masculinizing medication regimens. Extensive and frequent laboratory examination in transgender adolescents may be unnecessary. The use of hormones in transgender youth appears to be safe over a treatment course of approximately two years.