Abstract
Autistic traits are over-represented in transgender populations, and gender variance is high in autistic individuals. Furthermore, some evidence suggests that the autism/transgender overlap is limited to individuals sex assigned female. Few studies, however, have investigated the impact of this overlap on mental health. This study therefore sought to investigate whether the autism/transgender overlap confers an increased risk of depression or anxiety. An online study of 727 individuals revealed a substantial overlap between transgender identity and autism, with increased autistic traits found in trans men compared to trans women. Depression and anxiety were highest in autistic-trans individuals, but no superadditive effect was observed. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to the wider healthcare system.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 101466 |
| Journal | Research in autism spectrum disorders |
| Volume | 69 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2020 |
Funding
We are most grateful to Hayley Geary, Edward Millgate, Liam Timmins and Qazi Rahman for their assistance with recruitment. We would also like to thank our participants for their participation and useful feedback on our measures. JM was supported by a doctoral studentship from the Economic and Social Research Council [ 1599941 ; ES/J500057/1 ]. GB was supported by the Baily Thomas Trust .
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| UK Research and Innovation | |
| Baily Thomas Charitable Fund | |
| Baily Thomas Trust | |
| Economic and Social Research Council | ES/J500057/1, 1599941 |
Keywords
- Anxiety
- Autism
- Depression
- Gender identity
- Gender variance
- Transgender
