97% of trans youth don’t regret transitioning, research shows

A recent study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, indicates that the majority of transgender youth do not reverse their transition even after several years. Researchers examined 220 trans youths who have been transitioning for at least five years, using data from Princeton University’s TransYouth Project, a national longitudinal study.

This research challenges the arguments from anti-trans advocates, who claim that transgender youth would have a high rate of detransitioning after several years. The study found that only 4% of participants had detransitioned at any point, with 97% continuing gender-affirming care. Out of the participants, only about nine reported any regret. Four had stopped care, one planned to stop, and four chose to continue. The study noted that regret is complex and may not necessarily indicate a change in gender identity, though the specific types of regret were not analysed.

For context, a 2020 study revealed that knee replacement surgery has about a 20% regret rate.

According to ‘LGBTQ Nation’, the study also included a secondary group of 49 youths intended to represent those lost in follow-up surveys. Of these, 94% were satisfied with their transition, suggesting minimal bias due to survey attrition in similar studies.

Initial recruitment began in 2013 with a cohort of 317 youths, who were interviewed a decade later in 2023, at a minimum age of 12, to allow for direct researcher interaction. The sample was mainly white and affluent. Participants shared their satisfaction and experiences, as well as any side effects, using numerical scales.

Chris Barcelos, an associate professor of women’s gender sexuality studies at the University of Massachusetts at Boston, emphasised the need for studies like this. He highlighted the low rate of regret and high satisfaction with gender-affirming care among youth, despite not being part of the study.

Barcelos pointed out that gender-affirming care is challenging to obtain, even without legal or policy barriers. Research indicates that many more transgender individuals, both youth and adults, desire such care than are able to access it.

Kristina Olsen, the study’s lead author, acknowledged disparities in healthcare access, noting that study samples tend to be predominantly white and wealthy. She also mentioned that the concept of regret in the study was multifaceted, encompassing a range of issues beyond simply ceasing to identify with one’s gender identity. This could include side effects from medication or dissatisfaction with not being placed on hormones instead of puberty blockers.