The Olsen-Kennedy study is released - Mental and Emotional Health of Youth after 24 months of Gender-Affirming Medical Care Initiated with Pubertal Suppression

[Helleofabore]

The long awaited Johanna Olson-Kennedy study

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.05.14.25327614v1

Mental and Emotional Health of Youth after 24 months of Gender-Affirming Medical Care Initiated with Pubertal Suppression

Johanna Olson-Kennedy, Ramon Durazo-Arvizu, Liyuan Wang, Carolyn F. Wong, Diane Chen, Diane Ehrensaft, Marco A. Hidalgo, Yee-Ming Chan, Robert Garofalo, Asa E. Radix, Stephen M. Rosenthal

May 16, 2025

Abstract

Background and Objectives Medical interventions for youth with gender dysphoria can include the use of gonadotropin releasing hormone analogs (GnRHas) for suppression of endogenous puberty. This analysis aimed to understand the impact of medical intervention initiated with GnRHas on psychological well-being among youth with gender dysphoria over 24 months.

Methods
Participants were enrolled as part of the Trans Youth Care United States Study. Eligibility criteria for youth included a diagnosis of Gender Dysphoria and pubertal initiation. Youth with precocious puberty or pre-existing osteoporosis were ineligible. Youth reported on depressive symptoms, emotional health and suicidality at baseline, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months after initiation of GnRHas. Parent/caretaker completed the Child Behavior Checklist at baseline, 12 and 24 months after initiation of GnRHas. Latent Growth-Curve Models analyzed trajectories of change over the 24-month period.

Results
Ninety-four youth aged 8-16 years (mean=11.2 y) were predominately Non-Hispanic White (56%), early pubertal (86%) and assigned male at birth (52%). Depression symptoms, emotional health and CBCL constructs did not change significantly over 24 months. At no time points were the means of depression, emotional health or CBCL constructs in a clinically concerning range.

Conclusion
Participants initiating medical interventions for gender dysphoria with GnRHas have self- and parent-reported psychological and emotional health comparable with the population of adolescents at large, which remains relatively stable over 24 months. Given that the mental health of youth with gender dysphoria who are older is often poor, it is likely that puberty blockers prevent the deterioration of mental health.

I will read through it later today.

Genspect comment:

https://x.com/genspect/status/1930765091076460544?s=46

“The long-suppressed Olson-Kennedy puberty blocker study is finally out.

After 2 years on blockers, youth showed no significant improvement in depression, emotional health, or parent-reported behavior.

Once again, the Dutch study results failed to replicate.

Olson-Kennedy admitted it herself:
The study showed no mental health benefit, so they held it back — afraid it would be “weaponized.”

archive.ph/M1Pgz”

Given that the mental health of youth with gender dysphoria who are older is often poor, it is likely that puberty blockers prevent the deterioration of mental health.

Well, that’s one way of framing those results. Now let’s have a conversation about risk-benefit and explore whether the same non-outcome could be achieved or bettered by talking therapies which do not leave a child developmentally stalled and sterile.

"Participants initiating medical interventions for gender dysphoria with GnRHas have self- and parent-reported psychological and emotional health comparable with the population of adolescents at large, which remains relatively stable over 24 months."

Wait, what? Are they actually saying that kids undertaking treatment for GD are not in more psychological distress than other kids? I thought that was the entire reason why treatment was necessary in the first place??

"Given that the mental health of youth with gender dysphoria who are older is often poor, it is likely that puberty blockers prevent the deterioration of mental health."

Wow, that's quite the amazing leap they make here!

I wonder what all those who have denounced the Cass Review due to the Cass team’s findings on low quality evidence supporting the current treatment model will say about this study.

Considering there is a growing number of international medical research teams, often selected by national health departments, who have reviewed the same evidence as the Cass team and reached the same conclusion, I suspect this study will not be changing their findings that there is little evidence that current affirming only treatments improve the long term outcomes for children.

Discussion:

'Prior findings suggest that youth with gender dysphoria who have access to puberty blockers either demonstrate improved mental health or experience neutral effects, potentially preventing worsening mental health related in part to gender dysphoria.[9–11, 23] The results presented here are consistent with the prior literature and demonstrate that the mental health of youth as reported by both themselves and their parents/guardians is relatively stable from baseline over 24 months after starting medical intervention with GnRHa.

Depression commonly accompanies gender dysphoria and has been routinely reported as higher among youth with gender dysphoria than the population of youth at large.[24, 25] In the Youth Risk Behavioral Health Survey (YRBS) from 2021, 23.5% of middle school students reported that their mental health was not good “most of the time” or “always.” [26]

While it is not certain how “most of the time” or “always” translates to BDI-Y moderate or severe ranges, it is reasonable to assume these offer acceptable proxies, suggesting that at both baseline (18%) and at 24 months (22%), the proportion of our sample with poor mental health is no greater than that described in the general population.

National studies also report that among middle school youth, suicidal ideation, plans and attempts have continued to increase over time. In 2019, 22.3% of middle school youth reported ever thinking about suicide, 14.7% reported ever making a suicide plan, and 9.3% reported ever attempting suicide in their lifetime.[27] Suicidality is a major concern for all youth, but particularly among sexual and gender minoritized youth including those who identify as TNB.[28] Among our participants at baseline lifetime suicidal ideation, plan and attempts were comparable to those of the general population, and after 24-months following initiation of medical intervention with GnRHa, were lower than the national average.

Among the constructs assessed within CBCL, most showed no significant change over time. It is important to note that the means reported across the entire sample were not in a clinically concerning range at any time point. Rule-breaking behavior demonstrated a statistically significant decline (improvement) over time. Because the mean reported for rule-breaking behavior was not clinically concerning at any time point, the clinical significance of this change is unclear.'

That's as close as they get to a control group. The general population.

Depression commonly accompanies gender dysphoria and has been routinely reported as higher among youth with gender dysphoria than the population of youth at large.

Do I really have to bring out the good old "correlation is not causation" ?

I'm afraid you probably really do, Igneo.

And today this has been released as well.

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdMrbgYfVl-uRbb-KAAkSNzi_gHzQAX2d&feature=shared

‘The protocol’ by NYTimes

On the effects of covariates section, age had significant impact, also:

'Designated sex at birth was a significant predictor of baseline withdrawn depressed scores β= −4.58, 95% CI: (−8.08, −1.13), with those assigned male at birth having significantly lower baseline mean withdrawn depressed scores than those assigned female at birth. In addition, designated sex at birth was a significant predictor of change in several domains of the CBCL. '

If that study shows one thing, it's sure as fuck that sex matters.

Sex differences in gender treatment seems a screaming anomaly.

Funny how those who "designated" the babies' sex at birth managed to put them into two distinct boxes which showed significant differences. If the sex at birth designations were as random as the word suggests this wouldn't happen.

Props to them for doing the study and publishing it, eventually.

I wonder if it keeps any of them up at night.

my immediate thoughts, talk about twisting the results.

MH was poor, PB did nothing to alleviate it. Ffs

This is a pre-print so worth pointing out that it hasn't been peer reviewed.

Just from a quick read through, there's a lot to critique about this. It's essentially a survey every 6 months for 2 years of kids who have started puberty blockers. Did they have any drop outs from the surveys? Did any kids stop taking puberty blockers in that time? Why does their analysis not match up to the protocol?

This says a lot really:
Recognizing the limitations in fully capturing the diversity of gender identities among TNB (trans and non-binary) individuals, the sample was categorized and stratified based on DSAB (designated sex at birth) to facilitate analysis

Agree with @Seethlaw that this conclusion it is likely that puberty blockers prevent the deterioration of mental health is doing a hell of a lot of heavy lifting.

Yes indeed.

In 2019, 22.3% of middle school youth reported ever thinking about suicide, 14.7% reported ever making a suicide plan, and 9.3% reported ever attempting suicide in their lifetime.

Fucking hell, nearly 10% of 11 to 14-year-olds have tried to kill themselves??

This 'the treatment will prevent something happening in a future that we know nothing about' seems very similar to the poster insisting they knew that 'this happened in the past and nobody knew about about it' on another thread.

Fairies, ghosts, UFOs, and alien abductions. Goodbye reality, goodbye truth.

The research that I would really like to see, although God knows how they'd do it, is what happens to kids' brains on puberty blockers.

It just sounds like something from a science-fiction film, where they are in suspended animation. So anything they are thinking and feeling will be forever that of an 11-year-old.

I doubt it.

JOK's partner is trans I believe. And I think works in the area too.

These people are so up to their neck in this. Personally, professionally, socially, politically. They can't afford to have any doubts.

JOK is also being sued for medical negligence by a young woman who she medically transitioned.

https://x.com/ForWomenScot/status/1865077398535836049

https://nitter.net/ForWomenScot/status/1865077398535836049#m

JOK is also the woman who said that if girls whose breasts she had removed changed their minds in the future, they could just go get new breasts.