Background Transgender and non-binary young people experience discrimination that has been linked to suicidal ideation and self-harm, but few studies have examined this association systematically. We aimed to study the association between gender dysphoria-related diagnostic coding and hospital admission for suicidality or self-harm in a large representative pediatric inpatient database from the USA. Methods Using the 2016 and 2019 Kids' Inpatient Database (KID), we identified transgender and non-binary young people (aged 6-20 years) with International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-10 codes related to gender dysphoria. We identified suicidal ideation using explicit suicidality ICD-10 codes, and self-harm using 355 self-harm ICD-10 codes. Prevalence of suicidality (primary outcome), self-harm, and the combination of suicidality and self-harm (secondary outcomes) was compared between young people with and without gender dysphoria-related codes. Univariable and multivariable regression was used to test for an association between gender dysphoria and suicidality, self-harm, or suicidality and self-harm combined. Findings 1 090 544 individuals were included from KID 2016 and 1 026 752 from KID 2019. Gender dysphoria-related diagnoses were prevalent in 161 per 100 000 hospital admissions in KID 2016 and 475 per 100 000 hospital admissions in KID 2019. In KID 2016 and KID 2019, among individuals who were White, privately insured, or from higher median income ZIP code areas, proportionately more had gender dysphoria-related codes. Prevalence of suicidality was greater in individuals with gender dysphoria-related codes than in individuals without gender dysphoria-related codes in KID 2016 (635 [36%] of 1755 individuals with gender dysphoria-related codes vs 55 351 [5%] of 1 088 789 individuals without gender dysphoria-related codes; unadjusted prevalence ratio [PR] 7 center dot 19 [95% CI 6 center dot 75-7 center dot 66]) and KID 2019 (2680 [55%] of 4872 individuals with gender dysphoria-related codes vs 38 831 [4%] of 1 021 880 individuals without gender dysphoria-related codes; unadjusted PR 5 center dot 45 [5 center dot 30-5 center dot 60]). This association persisted in multivariable modelling adjusting for confounders in KID 2016 (adjusted PR 5 center dot 02 [95% CI 4 center dot 67-5 center dot 41]) and KID 2019 (4 center dot 14 [4 center dot 02-4 center dot 28]). Increased unadjusted and adjusted PRs for individuals with gender dysphoriarelated codes, relative to those without, were also evident for self-harm and when combining suicidality and self-harm in both the 2016 and 2019 datasets. Interpretation In a large representative national sample, transgender and non-binary young people with gender dysphoria-related diagnoses were frequently admitted to hospital for suicidality or self-harm. The lower rates of gender-dysphoria-related codes among young people who were non-White, publicly insured, and from low-income households suggest that underlying inequities might shape the identification and management of gender dysphoria. Structural and health-care provider-level interventions are needed to reduce discrimination and expand genderaffirming competencies to prevent adverse outcomes for hospitalised transgender and non-binary young people with gender dysphoria.

Objective: Weight suppression (WS) is related to a wide variety of eating disorder characteristics. However, individuals with eating disorders usually reach their highest premorbid weight while still developing physically. Therefore, a more sensitive index of individual differences in highest premorbid weight may be one that compares highest premorbid z-BMI to current z-BMI (called developmental weight suppression (DWS) here). Method: We compared the relationships between traditional weight suppression (TWS) and DWS and a wide variety of measures related to bulimic psychopathology in 91 females (M age, 25.2; 60.5% White), with clinical or sub-clinical bulimia nervosa. Results: TWS and DWS were correlated (r = .40). TWS was significantly related to only one of 23 outcome variables whereas DWS showed significant or near-significant relationships to 14 outcomes. DWS showed consistent positive relations with behavioral outcomes (e.g., binge eating) but consistent negative relations with cognitive/affective outcomes (e.g., weight concerns). Conclusions: Findings indicated a much more consistent relationship between the novel DWS measure and bulimic characteristics than with the traditional weight suppression measure. DWS showed both positive and negative relations with bulimic symptoms, though these findings require replication to confirm their validity. Consistent evidence indicated that the two WS measures served as mutual suppressor variables.

Gender-affirming care (GAC) is critical to the well-being of transgender and gender diverse youth and was limited by COVID-19 stay-at-home orders. Telehealth created opportunities for youth to continue receiving lifesaving care. We examined the attitudes of patients (n=21) and caregivers (n=38) receiving telehealth-delivered GAC (TGAC) from May to July 2020. Participants completed surveys after telehealth visits. Descriptive statistics compared telehealth with in-person visits across key domains. Overall, 86.5% of patients and 95.4% of caregivers were satisfied with medical TGAC and 94.3% and 93.3% were satisfied with behavioral health TGAC. Future research should determine the effectiveness of TGAC and identify areas for improvement.

Transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) youth experience severe discrimination which has been linked to adverse mental health outcomes, including an increased prevalence of suicidality and self-harm. Few epidemiological studies have examined this relationship; thus, we studied the relationship between hospitalization for suicidality, self-harm and gender dysphoria in a large, nationally representative database. We used the 2016 Kids’ Inpatient Database to identify a subset of TGNC youth < 21 years of age captured by the database (using ICD-10 gender dysphoria-related codes). We identified suicidal ideation or suicide attempt using either explicit “suicidality” codes, or one of 355 distinct self-harm codes. Using descriptive statistics, prevalence of suicidality and self-harm was compared between youth with and without gender dysphoria. A multivariable logistic regression model adjusting for individual, admission and hospital-level variables was constructed looking for association between gender dysphoria and suicidality. The cohort included 3,115,589 subjects, of whom 1,980 (64 per 100,000 admissions) had gender dysphoria. Analysis of demographic variables revealed the gender dysphoria diagnosis group was comprised of a disproportionately lower proportion of non-white, publicly insured, and low median income young adults compared to the entire cohort. Prevalence of suicidal ideation and suicide attempt in the entire cohort was 2%, compared to 35.3% in young people with gender dysphoria. Using the expanded definition of self-harm and attempted suicide, prevalence increased to 44.1%. After adjusting for individual, admission and hospital-level variables, subjects with gender dysphoria had 7.89 increased odds of attempted suicide or suicidal ideation (95%CI: 7.09-8.79). Using a large and representative database, we found significantly higher prevalence of suicide attempt and self-harm in hospitalized youth with a gender dysphoria-related diagnosis. For youth hospitalized after suicide attempt or self-harm, gender-affirming care and inclusive language is essential to reduce psychological stress secondary to physician-mediated interpersonal discrimination. Importantly, this study only captured TGNC youth with a formal gender dysphoria diagnosis, and not all youth who identify as TGNC have a diagnosis or disclose their identity; thus, the results should not be generalized to the entire population of TGNC youth. Furthermore, there were fewer non-white, publicly insured, and low median income youth with a gender dysphoria diagnosis compared to the entire cohort, which suggests inequities in accessing gender-affirming care among racial minority and economically disadvantaged youth. The results of this study highlight the need for structural interventions and policies to reduce discrimination and improve access to gender-affirming care in order to prevent these adverse outcomes.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention services including HIV testing and Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) are a crucial component of healthcare for young transgender women (YTW), who are disproportionately impacted by HIV in the U.S. However, these services and spaces are often not inclusive or gender-affirming. The purpose of this study was to adapt and develop two quality assurance measures of HIV prevention services for use with transfeminine identified youth quality evaluators in order to assess HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) services for gender-affirming competencies. Focus groups were conducted with provider and research experts in transgender health and HIV care for adolescents (N=14) and transfeminine identified youth experts (N=7) in transgender health to obtain feedback on two measures adapted from the Quick Investigation of Quality (QIQ) framework. These included: (1) a mystery shopping site assessment tool and (2) a facility audit tool. The mystery shopping site assessment tool was originally developed to assess LGBTQ+ competency in HIV testing and counseling services for young men who have sex with men. The facility audit tool has been used to address quality and access in other populations experiencing similar barriers to care. Nominal group technique was used to prioritize items for inclusion. The five focus groups were recorded and transcribed, and the research team used thematic analysis to identify the most salient themes and incorporate participant feedback into the development of the tools. Researcher, provider, and youth experts (n=21) expressed overall support of using these tools to evaluate HIV prevention services and made several valuable suggestions to tailor them to the needs of YTW. Research and provider experts made several content-based suggestions, such as adding items to address the behavior of other clients in the waiting room, presence of trans-specific symbols and materials in the facility, ADA and Spanish language-speaking accommodations, and diversity and inclusion training for staff. Youth experts were more likely to offer suggestions that improved the overall clarity, conciseness, and readability of items, such as removing repetitive items and rephrasing confusing questions. Feedback that was not incorporated directly into the tools was included in training materials developed for the youth quality evaluators. By leveraging input from a diverse group of researcher, provider, and youth experts in transgender health, we adapted and developed two tools that take an intersectional approach to measuring the quality of HIV prevention services for young transgender women. Next steps are to recruit and hire youth quality evaluators to pilot and validate these tools with agencies that provide HIV prevention services in a large urban area.

Objective: Weight suppression (WS) has demonstrated associations with numerous indices of eating behavior, psychopathology and eating disorder prognosis. However, because WS has traditionally been measured as a simple subtraction of current weight from highest past weight at adult height, this calculation is problematic for most individuals with disordered eating, who usually reach their highest past weight during adolescence. Here we propose a new method for computing WS to address this shortcoming, termed "developmental weight suppression" (DWS), and provide a web-based tool for ease of calculation. Method: DWS is calculated as the difference between one's highest premorbid z-BMI (i.e., BMI z-score), and current z-BMI. z-BMIs were calculated using Cole's lambda-mu-sigma (LMS) approach, in accordance with LMS parameters publicly available from the Center for Disease Control (2010). A web-based user interface is available at https://niuxin.shinyapps.io/devws/, making its computation easier and its adoption by researchers simpler. Discussion: By using z-BMIs in place of weights, DWS is more sensitive to the developmentally-relevant factors of age, height, and sex. Preliminary findings suggest that DWS is more strongly related to measures of eating pathology and biological reactions to weight loss than traditionally-computed WS, although more research is needed to test this hypothesis.

Background: Data regarding the acceptability, feasibility, and quality of telehealth among adolescents and young adults (AYA) and their parents and caregivers (caregivers) are lacking. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the noninferiority of telehealth versus in-person visits by comparing acceptability with respect to efficiency, effectiveness, equity, patient-centeredness, and confidentiality. Methods: Cross-sectional web-based surveys were sent to caregivers and AYA following video visits within an Adolescent Medicine subspecialty clinic in May-July 2020. Proportions of AYA and caregivers who rated telehealth as noninferior were compared using chi-squared tests. Feasibility was assessed via items measuring technical difficulties. Deductive thematic analysis using the Institute of Medicine dimensions of health care quality was used to code open-ended question responses. Results: Survey response rates were 20.5% (55/268) for AYA and 21.8% (123/563) for caregivers. The majority of the respondents were White cisgender females. Most AYA and caregivers rated telehealth as noninferior to in-person visits with respect to confidentiality, communication, medication management, and mental health care. A higher proportion of AYA compared to caregivers found telehealth inferior with respect to confidentiality (11/51, 22% vs 3/118, 2.5%, P<.001). One-quarter (14/55) of the AYA patients and 31.7% (39/123) of the caregivers reported technical difficulties. The dominant themes in the qualitative data included advantages of telehealth for efficiency and equity of health care delivery. However, respondents' concerns included reduced safety and effectiveness of care, particularly for patients with eating disorders, owing to lack of hands-on examinations, collection of vital signs, and laboratory testing. Conclusions: Telehealth was highly acceptable among AYA and caregivers. Future optimization should include improving privacy, ameliorating technical difficulties, and standardizing at-home methods of obtaining patient data to assure patient safety.