Self-injurious and suicidal behaviour in a transsexual adolescent and young adult population, treated at a specialised gender identity unit in Spain

Inés Modrego Pardo; Marcelino Gómez Balaguer; Felipe Hurtado Murillo; Enrique Cuñat Navarro; Eva Solá Izquierdo; Carlos Morillas Ariño

doi:10.1016/j.endinu.2020.04.006

Self-injurious and suicidal behaviour in a transsexual adolescent and young adult population, treated at a specialised gender identity unit in Spain

Endocrinol Diabetes Nutr (Engl Ed). 2021 May;68(5):338-345. doi: 10.1016/j.endinu.2020.04.006. Epub 2020 Sep 17.

[Article in English, Spanish]

Authors

Inés Modrego Pardo¹, Marcelino Gómez Balaguer², Felipe Hurtado Murillo³, Enrique Cuñat Navarro², Eva Solá Izquierdo², Carlos Morillas Ariño²

Affiliations

¹ Servicio de Endocrinología y Nutrición, Unidad de Identidad de Género, Hospital Universitario Dr. Peset, Valencia, España. Electronic address: inesmodregopardo@gmail.com.
² Servicio de Endocrinología y Nutrición, Unidad de Identidad de Género, Hospital Universitario Dr. Peset, Valencia, España.
³ Centro de Salud Sexual y Reproductiva, Unidad de Identidad de Género, Centro de Salud Arabista Ambrosio Huici, Valencia, España.

PMID: 32950440
DOI: 10.1016/j.endinu.2020.04.006

Abstract

Introduction: Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicidal behavior (SB) have a significant prevalence in transsexual people. The published data is confusing as it does not distinguish between ideation and realization, age groups, gender, or the degree of medical intervention. Their actual prevalence in Spain is unknown.

Objective: Our objective was to investigate the prevalence of NSSI behavior and SB in adolescents and young transsexual adults, differentiating between ideation and consummated behavior, prior to their receiving any type of gender-affirming medical treatment.

Material and methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical history of a cohort of transsexual people aged between 10 and 35 years, treated at the Gender Identity Unit of the Valencian Community. We analyzed the data collected regarding the presence of four variables: NSSI ideation, NSSI behavior, ideas of suicide and suicide attempts, as well as differences according to age group and gender.

Results: The final sample consisted of 110 transsexual men and 90 transsexual women. Of these, 21% had made a suicide attempt, 50% had had suicidal ideas, 31% had a history of NSSI behavior and 35% had had NSSI ideas. No differences were found based on gender. Regarding age, subjects under 20 years of age presented a significantly higher prevalence regarding suicidal ideas compared to young adults (43% vs. 25%), while in the remaining variables, no statistically significant differences were found.

Conclusions: The prevalence of a history of suicidal ideas and behavior in the Spanish adolescent and young transsexual population is significant and does not differ according to gender or age range. The prevalence of NSSI ideas and behavior differs and is more frequent in adolescent transsexuals.

Keywords: Adolescent; Adolescente; Comportamientos autolesivos; Comportamientos autolíticos; Disforia de género; Gender dysphoria; Gender incongruence; Incongruencia de género; Nonsuicidal self-injury; Suicidality; Transexualidad; Transsexuality.