ArticleBMC medical ethics2024
Gender-affirming medical treatment for adolescents: a critical reflection on "effective" treatment outcomes.
Article in BMC medical ethics, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Formulation concepts in the care of children and adolescents identifying as transgender or gender diverse.Australasian psychiatry : bulletin of Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists · 2026Article
- Patient-reported outcomes of gynaecological gender-affirming surgeries: A prospective cohort study.International journal of transgender health · 2026Article
- The Cass Review and Gender-Related Care for Young People in Canada: A Commentary on the Canadian Paediatric Society Position Statement on Transgender and Gender-Diverse Youth.Archives of sexual behavior · 2025Article
- Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Utilization of Top and Bottom Gender Affirming Surgeries Among Eligible Transgender Adults.Plastic surgery (Oakville, Ont.) · 2025Article
- Gender-affirming hormone treatment for young people with gender dysphoria: where do we go from here?Archives of disease in childhood · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe scrutiny surrounding gender-affirming medical treatment (GAMT) for youth has increased, particularly concerning the limited evidence on long-term treatment outcomes. The Standards of Care 8 by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health addresses this by outlining research evidence suggesting "effective" outcomes of GAMT for adolescents. However, claims concerning what are considered "effective" outcomes of GAMT for adolescents remain implicit, requiring further reflection.
methodsUsing trans negativity as a theoretical lens, we conducted a theory-informed reflexive thematic analysis of the literature cited in the "Research Evidence" section of the SOC8 Adolescents chapter. We selected 16 articles that used quantitative measures to assess GAMT outcomes for youth, examining how "effective" outcomes were framed and interpreted to uncover implicit and explicit normative assumptions within the evidence base.
resultsA total of 44 different measures were used to assess GAMT outcomes for youth, covering physical, psychological, and psychosocial constructs. We identified four main themes regarding the normative assumptions of "effective" treatment outcomes: (1) doing bad: experiencing distress before GAMT, (2) moving toward a static gender identity and binary presentation, (3) doing better: overall improvement after GAMT, and (4) the absence of regret. These themes reveal implicit norms about what GAMT for youth should achieve, with improvement being the benchmark for "effectiveness." DISCUSSION: We critically reflect on these themes through the lens of trans negativity to challenge what constitutes "effective" GAMT outcomes for youth. We explore how improvement justifies GAMT for youth and address the limitations of this notion.
conclusionsWe emphasize the need for an explicit discussion on the objectives of GAMT for adolescents. The linear narrative of improvement in GAMT for adolescents is limited and fails to capture the complexity of GAMT experiences. With currently no consensus on how the "effectiveness" of GAMT for adolescents is assessed, this article calls for participatory action research that centers the voices of young TGD individuals.
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What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.