The PARLONSMAAT study: Protocol for a participatory longitudinal study of the impacts of gender-affirming care among transgender and gender-diverse adolescents

Transgender and gender diverse youth (TGDY) report high levels of distress. While access to gender affirming care is associated with improved wellbeing among TGDY, limited research has examined medium to long term outcomes of this care. PARLONSMAAT (the Participatory longitudinal study of the impacts of gender-affirming care among TGDY) will explore the characteristics, trajectories of care, and health and psychosocial outcomes into young adulthood of youth receiving services at a large Canadian interdisciplinary pediatric gender identity clinic, housed within a French language tertiary pediatric hospital centre. Using a participatory research approach, we will conduct a single-center prospective cohort study. All new clinic patients will be eligible to participate, with rolling recruitment (estimate of 100 new participants/year). Self-reported questionnaires on gender, sexual orientation, mental health, wellbeing, and social support will be collected, in addition to medical records. PARLONSMAAT brings many novel design features to examining the impact of pediatric gender-affirming care, including a large prospective sample, a long-term follow-up into adulthood, integration of self-report and medical data, and participatory design for lived expertise. PARLONSMAAT will offer important insights around the impact and safety of gender-affirming care to improve clinical care and support better health outcomes among TGDY.