Transgender diagnoses among children in Germany have increased significantly

Uncertain gender identity

02. June 2024 7:27 p.m. Robert Klatt

In Germany, more and more children and young people are being diagnosed with gender identity disorders. However, diagnostic stability is relatively low.

Ulm (Germany). Gender identity disorders (ICD-10; ICD-11: gender incongruence) can occur in children at a young age, well before puberty. Children and adolescents with gender identity disorder often feel that their birth sex does not completely match their perceived identity. Although gender identity disorders and transgender people are increasingly studied in research, quantitative data from Germany are so far lacking.

Researcher of Ulm University Hospital (UKU), in cooperation with the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg and the Central Institute for Statutory Health Care of the Federal Republic of Germany (Zi), therefore created a study for which they collected data from insurance for all legally insured people between the ages of five and 24 in the analyzed period from 2013 to 2022. This represents approximately 14 million people.

Significant increase in gender identity disorders

According to the publication in the specialist magazine German medical journal The number of gender identity disorder diagnoses increased eightfold during the study period. The diagnosis is more common among adolescents aged 15 to 19. The health data analyzed also show that the majority of children and adolescents (70%) have one or more additional psychiatric diagnoses.

Like Professor Dr. Dr. According to Christian Bachmann, the stability of diagnoses is relatively low. About half of those examined no longer have a diagnosed gender identity disorder after five years.

“The results provide information on the frequency and temporal trends of gender identity disorders among young people in Germany, but cannot reveal the causes.”

The researchers also explain that their study cannot explain why there are increasing numbers of gender identity disorder diagnoses or how gender identity disorders can best be treated in children and adolescents.

Deutsches Ärzteblatt, doi: 10.3238/arztebl.m2024.0098