People who identify as gender diverse need acceptance and love, said Sydney Auxiliary Bishop Daniel Meagher in response to new research showing they are dramatically more likely to have suffered abuse and neglect. Source: The Catholic Weekly.
The study found Australians who identify as having a “diverse gender” are up to 17 times more likely to have post-traumatic stress disorder and up to 52 times more likely to have engaged in self-harm over the past year than the rest of the population.
The study also found that the cohort, representing an estimated 196,000 Australians, are 16 times more likely to have attempted suicide in the previous 12 months.
The research was supported by the Australian Catholic University and led by Curtin University, and was published in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence.
Bishop Meagher has worked among Sydney’s marginalised communities and said he had been aware of similar findings “for some time.”
“Clearly, gender diverse people have many challenges to face in life. Community acceptance is undoubtedly one,” he said.
“I hope we can find room in our hearts for compassion, respect and love. We are all children of God, hoping to find happiness and meaning in our lives.”
The new research draws on a landmark national survey of 8503 people aged 16-65 measuring child abuse and neglect led by the Australian Catholic University last year.
It examined rates of four mental health disorders and five health risk behaviours in people with diverse gender identities, and their associations with five types of child maltreatment.
It found that individuals who identified as transgender, gender fluid, non-binary, or in other ways not aligned with their biological sex at birth had significantly higher prevalence of any mental disorder (52.7 per cent of the “diverse gender” group) compared with men (38 per cent) and women (37.7 per cent).
The majority, 90 out of the 126 people who identified as gender diverse, were aged 16-24.
An earlier study found those who experienced childhood sexual and emotional abuse were substantially more likely to have poor mental health.
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Gender diverse persons need acceptance, love, says bishop following maltreatment study (By Marilyn Rodrigues, The Catholic Weekly)
National FREE 24/7 Crisis Services: • Lifeline 13 11 14 www.lifeline.org.au • Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467 www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au • Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 www.kidshelpline.com.au • MensLine Australia 1300 78 99 78 www.mensline.org.au • Beyond Blue Support Service 1300 22 4636
