Study Links Conversion Therapy to Increased PTSD, Other Issues

Nearly half of the states have taken action against conversion therapy, with Kentucky emerging as the latest to ban the practice – albeit through executive action. Now, new evidence has emerged that reinforces just how harmful it can be, especially to minors.

A group of Stanford researchers has uncovered a solid link between conversion therapy – organized attempts to change an LGBTQ person’s sexual orientation or gender identity – and multiple mental health issues. These run the gamut, from depression to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and even suicidal ideation.

The research results, which appear in the most recent issue of The Lancet Psychiatry, offer crucial insight into the damaging effects of such practices, particularly for transgender and gender-diverse individuals.

‘Clear Evidence of Harm’

The research, led by Stanford Nguyen Tran, PhD, included more than 4,400 participants. And the authors insist that its the first of its kind to gauge whether specific mental health outcomes vary depending on whether the recipient of conversion efforts is cisgender (identifies as the sex assigned at birth) or transgender/gender-diverse. The study also looked at whether the goal of conversion therapy exerts any influence on the participant’s mental health.

“Our study found an association between recall of conversion practices and symptoms of depression, PTSD, and suicide,” Tran said in a press release. “We saw the greatest harms in people exposed to both types of conversion practices — those aimed at changing sexual orientation and gender identity. This highlights the urgent need for policy changes at all levels and a better understanding of the long-lasting mental health effects tied to these practices.”

Mitchell Lunn, MD, an associate professor of medicine at Stanford and co-director of The PRIDE Study, served as the senior author. The PRIDE Study, launched in 2015, is a large-scale, online research initiative designed to gather data on the health outcomes of LGBTQIA+ individuals.

Conversion Therapy Controversy

Conversion therapy practices, the researchers explained, can involve multiple approaches, from religious rituals to psychological counseling to aversion therapy. The objective in every case, is to push heterosexual attraction or align the subject’s gender identity with their birth gender.

And yet, in the face of rejection by most of the nation’s medical establishment – including the American Psychiatric Association and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry – several states still allow the practice. Today, only 24 states and Washington, D.C., have banned conversion therapy that targets minors.

“There is no nationwide ban on conversion practices,” Lunn added. “This study adds to the growing body of evidence that these practices are linked to significant mental health problems.”

Estimates suggest that anywhere between 4 percent and 34 percent of the country’s LGBTQ individuals have undergone conversion therapy. Worse still, transgender and gender-diverse people consistently report higher incidences. Most of these efforts target minors during puberty or young adulthood.

Methodology

The Stanford researchers polled participants in The PRIDE Study. The authors ask them whether they recalled enduring any type of conversion therapy and what kind they experienced. For this study, the study authors narrowly defined conversion therapy as formal, structured attempts to change sexual orientation or gender identity. As a result, the researchers excluded less formal pressure from family members or religious leaders.

The average age of the study participants was 31. And 57 percent of them identified as cisgender, while 43 percent of them identified as transgender or gender-diverse. All told:

• 3.4 percent (149)reported experiencing sexual orientation conversion efforts.
• 1 percent (43) reported efforts to change their gender identity
• And another 1 percent (42) experienced both.

Those exposed to sexual orientation conversion efforts reported the most PTSD symptoms. While those who lived through gender identity conversion efforts reported higher rates of depression. Those who’d been exposed to both admitted to experiencing a combination of PTSD, depression, and suicidality.

Additionally, racial minorities, transgender individuals, and anyone raised in generally unsupportive communities were all more likely to have faced conversion therapy.

Digging deeper, the researcher confirmed that the negative mental health effects they saw weren’t just a result of community or religious pressure, but tied directly to the effort to “convert” them.

Moving Forward

The study’s authors stressed the need for comprehensive mental health support for conversion therapy survivors.

“There is a greater need for mental health support among survivors,” Tran said.

He also pointed to the importance of access to affirming care, supportive LGBTQ social networks, and attempts to help shore up the self-esteem of those who’d survived conversion therapy. The study also highlights the need for stronger federal legislation to ban conversion therapy nationwide and targeted healthcare interventions for the LGBTQ community.

Further Reading

High PTSD Rates in LGBTQ Community Demand A Better Approach

Bridge Symptoms Between Borderline Personality and PTSD

Making Sense of PTSD’s Emotional Numbing