Eating Disorders in People Who Identify as Gender-Diverse: Associations Between Gender Diversity, Eating Disorder Diagnosis, Minority Stress Experiences and Mental Health Comorbidity.

Gender-diverse individuals with an eating disorder had significantly more comorbid mental health diagnoses than non-gender-diverse individuals with an eating disorder.

• GD participants with an ED had a mean of 4.23 (SD = 2.23) comorbid MH diagnoses compared to 2.86 (SD = 1.98) in non-GD individuals with an ED.
• Comparison groups were demographically matched from a sample of 334,957 American university and college students.
• The GD with ED group consisted of 1885 individuals.
• The difference was described as statistically significant even following 'stringent demographic matching.'

Gender-diverse individuals with an eating disorder had significantly higher mental health comorbidity than gender-diverse individuals without an eating disorder.

• GD participants with an ED had a mean of 4.23 (SD = 2.23) comorbid MH diagnoses compared to 1.96 (SD = 1.84) in GD individuals without an ED.
• Comparisons were made using demographically matched samples.
• The elevated comorbidity included serious mental health disorders.
• The sample was drawn from a large cross-sectional survey of American university and college students.

Eating disorder diagnosis in gender-diverse individuals was associated with increased odds of experiencing minority stress events.

• ED diagnosis was associated with increased odds of experiencing minority stress events (OR: 2.19, 95% CI [1.91–2.51]).
• ED diagnosis was also associated with increased odds of distress related to minority stress events (OR: 2.17, 95% CI [1.89–2.50]).
• These associations were identified within the gender-diverse subsample.
• The analysis used Gender Minority Stress Theory as a theoretical framework to explain elevated ED risk in GD populations.

The study used a large cross-sectional survey dataset of American university and college students to compare mental health outcomes across gender and eating disorder status.

• Total sample size was 334,957 American university and college students.
• 1885 gender-diverse individuals with an eating disorder were identified.
• Demographically matched comparison groups were created for non-GD individuals with an ED and GD individuals without an ED.
• The study design was cross-sectional, based on survey data.

Mental health comorbidity is elevated both in gender-diverse individuals and in individuals with eating disorders, and those with both conditions may face compounded risk.

• The background of the study notes that MH comorbidity is elevated in GD individuals and in individuals with an ED independently.
• GD individuals with an ED were hypothesized to have significantly higher MH comorbidity than those with only one of these conditions.
• Gender Minority Stress Theory is cited as a potential explanatory framework for elevated ED risk in GD populations.
• The authors identified the need for prompt intervention and proactive screening in this population.