New Data Analysis Finds Strong Consensus on Effectiveness of Gender Transition Treatment
As American Medical Association Slams Scientific Distortions Behind Transgender Military Ban, New Findings Cast Doubt on Pentagon Claims about Unfitness of Transgender Troops
Ithaca, NY - April 9, 2018 - A new analysis conducted by researchers at the What We Know Project, an initiative of Cornell University's Center for the Study of Inequality, reviewed more than twenty-five years of scholarship on transgender mental health and found a strong consensus that undergoing gender transition can improve transgender well-being. The year-long review screened over 4,000 studies and identified 56 that assessed whether gender transition improves the mental well-being of transgender individuals. The analysis concluded that 93% of the studies found positive effects of gender transition, indicating "a robust international consensus in the peer-reviewed literature that gender transition, including medical treatments such as hormone therapy and surgeries, improves the overall well-being of transgender individuals."
The findings could play a role in a renewed debate about the fitness and health of transgender service members. The Pentagon has moved recently to reinstitute a transgender service ban based on claims of "uncertainty" about the science of treatment for gender dysphoria.
"Among researchers who have studied gender transition, there is little doubt that it improves the well-being of transgender people, often markedly," said Nathaniel Frank, director of the What We Know Project, and co-lead, with researcher Kellan Baker, of the online study. "A consensus like this is rare in social science." Frank said their analysis confirms earlier findings that reflect near unanimity of opinion by experts on treatment of gender dysphoria. "Just like anyone else," he said, "with access to adequate health care, transgender people can excel at life and at work."
Among the findings of the analysis are the following:
- Of 56 peer-reviewed studies, 52, or 93%, found that gender transition improves the overall well-being of transgender people. The other 7% reported mixed or null findings. None of the reviewed studies showed that gender transition harms well-being.
- The positive outcomes of gender transition and related medical treatments include improved quality of life, greater relationship satisfaction, higher self-esteem and confidence, and reductions in anxiety, depression, suicidal tendencies, and substance use.
- The positive impact of gender transition has grown considerably in recent years, as surgical techniques and social support have improved.
- Regrets following gender transition are extremely rare and have become increasingly rarer.
The full research analysis can be viewed at http://whatweknow.inequality.cornell.edu.
About The What We Know Project
The What We Know Project (WWKP) is now a part of Cornell University's Center for the Study of Inequality (CSI). WWKP aggregates and summarizes scholarly research on topics relating to social, economic and political inequality. CSI studies patterns, causes, and consequences of social and economic inequality. It fosters research, trains students, encourages the exchange of ideas among scholars, and disseminates research findings to the public.
