BEST Lab Study Finds Fewer Specialty Mental Health Providers Available for Transgender Adolescents in US States with More Transphobic Policies

Last year saw an unprecedented rise in the number of state laws/policies targeting transgender rights, with a growing number of US states passing legislation restricting transgender adolescents’ athletic participation and access to gender-affirming care. Although these and other transphobic laws/policies are increasingly linked to psychological distress among transgender youth, their potential consequences on transgender youth’s access to supportive mental health providers – of whom there is a nationwide shortage – were previously unexplored. 

A new study by BEST Lab doctor student Nathan Hollinsaid, however, finds that transphobic state laws/policies undermine the availability of specialty mental health providers for transgender adolescents. Specifically, Nathan’s research documents substantially lower availability of specialty providers for transgender adolescents in US states with more (vs. less) transphobic laws/policies. Indeed, compared to states with the most supportive policies, states with the most restrictive policies had almost 65% fewer specialty providers per transgender adolescent. This dramatic difference in provider availability was not better explained by other state-level features, including conservatism, religiosity, and urbanicity. 

Findings from this research underscore the urgent need for intervention and policy efforts to address these provider shortages, particularly in US states with laws/policies targeting transgender rights, where transgender adolescents’ mental health needs are likely greatest. Notably, Nathan’s study offers new frameworks not only for measuring transphobia at the state level, but also for indexing mental health provider availability via online directories such as Psychology Today.

The study, titled “Transgender-Specific Adolescent Mental Health Provider Availability is Substantially Lower in States with More Restrictive Policies,” is now available online at the Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology. It was co-authored by BEST Lab PI Dr. Mark Hatzenbuehler and by Dr. Maggi Price of Boston College.

For inquiries, please email Nathan Hollinsaid at nathan_hollinsaid@fas.harvard.edu. A citation for the study is provided below.

Hollinsaid, N. L., Price, M. A., & Hatzenbuehler, M. L. (2022). Transgender-specific adolescent mental health provider availability is substantially lower in states with more restrictive policies. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2022.2140433