Special Issue: Health Outcomes of Gender-Affirming Care Among Transgender and Gender Expansive Youth

We are excited to announce a special issue of Transgender Health focusing on a vital topic of timely public health significance, “Health Outcomes of Gender-Affirming Care Among Transgender and Gender Expansive Youth.” Considering the challenging global sociopolitical climate, it is imperative to prioritize science and high-quality research in health outcomes pertaining to transgender and gender expansive youth; especially research on the outcomes of interventions across the care spectrum from social transition, to the impact of gender-affirming hormones and the optimization of models of care, and considerations related to gender-affirming surgical procedures. 

We encourage research and submissions focusing on all transgender and gender expansive youth globally, but especially transgender and gender expansive youth of color who may be disproportionately affected by disparities in health care access and outcomes given their multiple marginalized and intersectional identities. It is crucial to amplify research that highlights a full range of health outcomes, including the potential benefits of gender-affirming care for diverse populations of transgender and gender expansive youth.

The manuscript submission deadline for this special issue is September 17, 2024. We encourage authors to submit their original contributions addressing the theme of the special issue. All manuscripts will undergo a rigorous peer-review process to ensure the publication of high-quality research. 

Building from the summary of a Scientific Workshop convened by the National Institutes of Health Sexual & Gender Minority Research Office entitled “Expanding the Evidence Base in Gender-Affirming Care for Transgender and Gender-Diverse Populations,” we are seeking submissions on the following topics:

Optimal Models of Care and Health Care Access

• Models of care and best practices for gender-affirming care health outcomes, including requirements prior to initiating gender-affirming care, approaches to assessing youth and caregiver readiness, facilitating informed and shared decision-making, and supporting transition from pediatric to adult care.
• Equity in health care access and health outcomes, including the impact of socioeconomic determinants of health, such as race/ethnicity, income, education, geographic location, culture, and religion, on gender-affirming health care access and the effects of mental health conditions and chronic medical conditions on health outcomes.

Psychosocial Wellbeing and Mental Health Outcomes 

• Exploring the intersection of gender identity/expression development with gender-affirming care decisions and timing and the impact on psychosocial, cognitive, and mental health outcomes.
• Outcomes of gender-affirming social or medical interventions, including satisfaction with gender embodiment goals, psychosocial wellbeing, social, cognitive, and adaptive functioning, and quality of life. 

Outcomes of Gender-Affirming Medical Therapies and Surgeries

• Long-term health outcomes of pubertal suppression and/or gender-affirming hormone therapies (GAHT) such as metabolic, cardiovascular, oncologic, and bone development and health outcomes.
• Physiologic effects of GAHT and differential impacts of timing of initiation, dosing schedules, route of administration, and gaps in use or discontinuation of hormone therapies.
• Outcomes of gender-affirming surgeries, including indications for and timing of procedures, surgical decision-making, use of pubertal suppression and/or GAHT, patient-reported outcomes, effects on mental health and wellbeing, and pre- and postoperative care.
• Sexual and reproductive health considerations in gender-affirming care outcomes, including use of contraception, family-building objectives, fertility preservation options, and sexually transmitted infections. 
• Decision-making regarding GAHT and surgeries with permanent effects, including approaches to this issue, ethical considerations, and evaluation of developmental stage.

Impact of Social Determinants and Context on Healthy Development and Outcomes

• Roles of family, peer, partner, and other relationships as well as communities and schools in healthy development and outcomes.
• Impact of social and cultural values/expectations and laws and policies on health outcomes.

Submission Types being solicited

The editors encourage submissions of original research articles, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, and short reports by researchers, clinicians, and other health care providers (across disciplines), academics, and policy makers working in fields related to transgender health and youth development. Each submission must be accompanied by a positionality statement for all authors.

Upload your paper using the manuscript category:
Special Issue: Gender-Affirming Care among Youth

 Manuscript Submission Deadline: September 17, 2024

Visit the journal website to view more information for authors including manuscript guidelines, information on available author services, and publication costs.