Canadian study on detransitioners
A summary of the findings
In 2022, Dr. Kinnon MacKinnon led the Re/Detrans Canada study, a qualitative study of 28 adult Canadians who detransitioned. The research team out of York University tried to better understand the experiences and healthcare needs of people who stopped or reversed a gender transition and/or experienced an identity shift.
Some key findings from the study:
Very little information on frequency of detransition is available. In the UK, three studies found detransition rates to range between 7-10%. In the US, one study found that 30% discontinued hormone treatments after 4 years. All of the studies in question had important limitations.
Participants reported a mean time range from transition to detransition of approximately 4 years
57% reported a co-occurring mental health condition
57% had more than 3 past gender identities
27 out of 28 had accessed medical care (e.g. hormones or surgery)
All of the participants identified as LGBTQ+
The study participants expressed that they would have benefited from a more comprehensive mental health assessment prior to making transition decisions. Reasons for detransitioning included declining mental health post transition, other mental health diagnoses, and trans-related discrimination in the workplace.
Some participants expressed frustration with the healthcare support they received. One participant, for example, shared that when they were hospitalized for mental distress, they were diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD). None of the medical personnel made the link between their BPD diagnosis - which often comes with a lack of sense of self - and their desire to undergo a gender transition.
The research team noted that predicting whether a particular gender identity would remain the same over the life course was difficult. Dr MacKinnon noted that while professional bodies like the World Professional Association of Transgender Health (WPATH) recommend mental health assessments for adolescents and adults, this can prove challenging in practice, as it requires a high level of trust between clinician and client.
The research team for the Re/Detrans Canada study made the following recommendations to healthcare providers based on their findings. Clinicians need to:
Be aware that healthcare avoidance among detransitioners is common (e.g. due to shame and fear of judgement)
Normalize gender fluidity throughout the gender transition process
Avoid assumptions about client experiences (e.g. that detransition automatically means regret, or that detransition is just part of a ‘gender journey’)
Acknowledge complex emotional experiences of detransitioners, including distrust of past medical providers, grief and mourning about body changes, and isolation due to social rejection
You can watch Dr MacKinnon summarize the study findings.