Family support matters.
A study found that the odds of suicidal ideation were lower among young transgender women (YTW) who had mothers who were supportive of their transgender identity.
The study – “Maternal Support Is Protective Against Suicidal Ideation Among a Diverse Cohort of Young Transgender Women” by Harry Jin, William Goedel, Adedotun Ogunbajo, Katie Biello, Don Operario, Lisa Kuhns, Sari L. Reisner, Robert Garofalo, and Matthew J. Mimiaga – appeared in LGBT Health.
For this study, the researchers wanted to assess if YTW with parents who are supportive of their transgender identity had lower odds of having suicidal ideation compared with YTW with unsupportive parents. This study analyzed baseline findings from a diverse sample of 297 sexually active, YTW 16–29 years of age who were enrolled in Project LifeSkills, a randomized controlled HIV prevention intervention efficacy trial in Chicago and Boston, between 2012 and 2015. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression were used to assess if parental support was associated with a decreased odds of suicidal ideation.
The study found that nearly one-fifth (18.9%) of YTW reported suicidal ideation at baseline. In the adjusted multivariable model, YTW with supportive mothers had 0.37 (95% confidence interval = 0.15–0.90) times the odds of having suicidal ideation compared with YTW with unsupportive mothers.
This study found that the “odds of suicidal ideation were lower among YTW who had mothers who were supportive of their transgender identity.”
The researchers suggest that parent-focused interventions to improve the relationships between YTW and their parents may lower the odds of YTW having suicidal ideation.
