Medical gender affirmation appears protective against problematic substance use among transgender women and transfeminine adults: Findings from The LITE Study.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To estimate the association between medical and legal gender affirmation with problematic substance use among transfeminine adults.

Methods

Data from a longitudinal cohort (The LITE Study) were analyzed (n = 1186). Participants were enrolled between March 2018 and August 2020 and followed for 2 years. We tested the association between baseline medical and legal gender affirmation with problematic drug use (DAST-10 ≥3) and problematic alcohol use (AUDIT-C≥4) at 12-months. We used Poisson regression to estimate adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI).

Results

Mean age was 31.0 years (standard deviation=11.2). For race and ethnicity, 55.8 % were non-Latinx, white, 13.0 % were non-Latinx Black/African American, 17.1 % were Latinx, and

SUBMITTER: Andrzejewski J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12450586 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature