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Gender minority youth (i.e., those whose gender identity does not match their assigned gender at birth) are at higher risk for poor psychological and physical health outcomes than their cisgender peers (i.e., those who identify with their assigned gender at birth). To explore these health disparities, investigators analyzed data from the 2017 and 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Study for ≈200,000 U.S. high school students (96.6% cisgender; 1.8% transgender; 1.6% unsure [these students were included in the gender minority group]) who lived in the 15 states that reported data on gender identity.
Gender minority youth experiences of mental distress were particularly stark, with 60% reporting feelings of hopelessness (33% for cisgender youth) and 30% r…