TY - JOUR
T1 - Association between pre-treatment IQ and educational achievement after gender-affirming treatment including puberty suppression in transgender adolescents
AU - Arnoldussen, Marijn
AU - Hooijman, Evelien C.
AU - Kreukels, Baudewijntje P. C.
AU - de Vries, Annelou L. C.
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2022.
PY - 2022/10
Y1 - 2022/10
N2 - Background: Concerns exist regarding effects of puberty suppression on neurodevelopment. Intelligence is strongly correlated with educational achievement in the general population. This study aimed to examine the association between pre-treatment intelligence and educational achievement after gender-affirming treatment including puberty suppression in transgender adolescents to contribute to the emerging understanding of the effect that gender-affirming treatment including puberty suppression may have on cognitive development. Methods: IQ was measured in 72 adolescents (45 trans boys, 27 trans girls) at clinical entry (mean age 12.78 years), educational achievement was evaluated after gender-affirming treatment (mean age 20.40 years). Results: IQ pre-treatment and educational achievement post-treatment were positively associated (Nagelkerke R = 0.71). Discussion: The association between IQ pre-treatment and educational achievement post-treatment in transgender adolescents who received gender-affirming medical treatment including puberty suppression appears to be similar to the general population. This may reflect that gender-affirming medical treatment including puberty suppression does not negatively affect the association between IQ and educational achievement.
AB - Background: Concerns exist regarding effects of puberty suppression on neurodevelopment. Intelligence is strongly correlated with educational achievement in the general population. This study aimed to examine the association between pre-treatment intelligence and educational achievement after gender-affirming treatment including puberty suppression in transgender adolescents to contribute to the emerging understanding of the effect that gender-affirming treatment including puberty suppression may have on cognitive development. Methods: IQ was measured in 72 adolescents (45 trans boys, 27 trans girls) at clinical entry (mean age 12.78 years), educational achievement was evaluated after gender-affirming treatment (mean age 20.40 years). Results: IQ pre-treatment and educational achievement post-treatment were positively associated (Nagelkerke R = 0.71). Discussion: The association between IQ pre-treatment and educational achievement post-treatment in transgender adolescents who received gender-affirming medical treatment including puberty suppression appears to be similar to the general population. This may reflect that gender-affirming medical treatment including puberty suppression does not negatively affect the association between IQ and educational achievement.
KW - Gender dysphoria
KW - educational achievement
KW - gender incongruence
KW - gender-affirming medical treatment
KW - intelligence
KW - puberty suppression
KW - transgender adolescents
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85131369769&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1177/13591045221091652
DO - https://doi.org/10.1177/13591045221091652
M3 - Article
C2 - 35638479
SN - 1359-1045
VL - 27
SP - 1069
EP - 1076
JO - Clinical child psychology and psychiatry
JF - Clinical child psychology and psychiatry
IS - 4
ER -