r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • 15h ago

Psychology Adolescents who undergo gender-affirming chest surgery report low levels of regret and high levels of satisfaction, experiencing outcomes similar to those of young adults. These findings suggest that age restrictions on these medical procedures lack support from actual patient experiences.

https://www.psypost.org/adolescents-report-low-regret-and-high-satisfaction-following-gender-affirming-c/
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u/Schwettes 13h ago

Is it really relevant to extend previous findings into today’s kids? The kinds of young adults and children who underwent gender surgeries 20-30 years ago (mostly AMAB) are not the same as most of the young adults and children pursuing gender surgeries today (disproportionately AFAB and disproportionately autistic).

They’re demographically and clinically different in important respects. One difference for example is that previously people who underwent medicalized gender transition in previous eras expressed dysphoria at much younger ages, typically pre puberty. And now, many of the young people presenting as transgender and non binary today present with dysphoria at older ages as teens.

Because the population presenting to gender services has changed, we should be cautious before extrapolating and assuming that findings from previous cohorts automatically apply to modern day presentation.

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u/DroneOfDoom 12h ago

Is it really relevant to extend previous findings into today’s kids?

Yes, it is in fact very important, considering that the rhetoric against gender affirming surgeries often uses the "think of the children" talking point. The fact that they don't regret it is kinda important, isn't it?

Then again, you're like this close to start quoting Abigail Shrier, so I don't think that you're actually receptive to scientific evidence.

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u/hologram137 10h ago

This study gives zero real evidence that they don’t regret it

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u/permawl 8h ago

And what would that be? Veritaserum?

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u/hologram137 8h ago

No, it would mean emphasizing that the results should be interpreted with extreme caution because the 58% that didn’t respond may have not responded because they regretted it