Eating Disorder Diagnoses and Symptom Presentation in Transgender Youth: a Scoping Review.
Jennifer S Coelho, Janet Suen, Beth A Clark, Sheila K Marshall, Josie Geller, Pei-Yoong Lam
Author Information
Jennifer S Coelho: Provincial Specialized Eating Disorders Program for Children & Adolescents, BC Children's Hospital, Healthy Minds Centre, 4500 Oak Street, Vancouver, BC, V6H 3N1, Canada. jennifer.coelho@cw.bc.ca.
Janet Suen: Provincial Specialized Eating Disorders Program for Children & Adolescents, BC Children's Hospital, Healthy Minds Centre, 4500 Oak Street, Vancouver, BC, V6H 3N1, Canada.
Beth A Clark: Allen-Berenson Fellow in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, 02453, USA.
Sheila K Marshall: School of Social Work, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
Josie Geller: Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
Pei-Yoong Lam: Provincial Specialized Eating Disorders Program for Children & Adolescents, BC Children's Hospital, Healthy Minds Centre, 4500 Oak Street, Vancouver, BC, V6H 3N1, Canada.
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This scoping review includes recent literature on eating disorder diagnoses and evaluation of eating disorder symptom presentation among transgender youth (ages 8-25). RECENT FINDINGS: A total of 20 publications from the previous 5 years were identified, including case reports, retrospective chart reviews, and surveys. Significantly higher rates of eating disorder symptoms were documented in transgender youth compared to cisgender youth. Similarly, some studies reported transgender youth were more likely to be diagnosed with an eating disorder than cisgender youth, though the proportion of youth with eating disorder diagnoses varied across studies. A consistent theme across case studies was engagement in food restriction and/or compensatory eating behaviors to prevent puberty onset or progression, suggesting that for some transgender youth, these behaviors may be understood as a means of coping with gender-related distress. Clinical care could be enhanced through establishment of best practices for screening in settings offering eating disorder treatment and gender-affirming care, as well as greater collaboration among these programs. Research is needed to validate eating disorder measures for use with transgender youth and evaluate the effects of eating disorder treatment and gender-affirming medical interventions on the well-being of transgender youth.
