The prevalence of coexisting mental health conditions in gender diverse autistic people: A systematic review

• Published in: Research in autism spectrum disorders Vol. 116; p. 102427
• Main Authors: Simpson, Ashleigh, Van Rensburg, Mikayla, Ding, Ling, Rydzewska, Ewelina
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.08.2024
• Subjects: Anxiety; Autism; Depression; Gender diverse; Non-binary; Autism; Transgender; Depression; Anxiety; Gender diverse; Non-binary
• ISSN: 1750-9467; 1878-0237
• DOI: 10.1016/j.rasd.2024.102427

Previous research has highlighted higher prevalence of autism amongst gender diverse individuals compared to cisgender individuals. Both the autistic population, and gender diverse population, have been found to be at an increased risk of developing mental health conditions compared to the general population. However, little is understood about the mental health outcomes of those that are both autistic and gender diverse. Aims: The aims of this review were to assess the mental health outcomes in gender diverse autistic individuals and whether these outcomes were affected by biological sex or age. A literature review was conducted using the following databases: MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EMBASE and CINAHL. The review was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023408287). Search terms relating to autism, gender diversity and mental health were used. 12/820 retrieved papers were included in the review. The most common health outcomes studied were depression, anxiety and suicidality. Gender diverse autistic individuals’ mental health was poorer in all 7 studies when comparing to cisgender autistic individuals, in all 8 studies when comparing to gender-diverse non-autistic individuals and in all 6 studies when comparing to cisgender non-autistic individuals. Gender diverse autistic individuals appear to be particularly vulnerable to experiencing mental health problems, more so than gender diverse individuals and autistic individuals. ●Gender diverse autistic individuals are at an increased risk of poor mental health.●The most common health outcomes studied are depression, anxiety and suicidality.●Evidence on the effect of age and biological sex on mental health is limited.