The largest-ever American study on the social and mental health of intersex adults was released October 9, revealing that the population experiences major health disparities.
"A national study on the physical and mental health of intersex adults in the U.S." was compiled by researchers at UCSF and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas with help from interACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth, with responses from 198 intersex adults, according to a copy obtained by the Bay Area Reporter before its Friday publication at 11 a.m. Pacific Time.
The report comes some nine months after gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) had to shelve a bill in the Legislature that would have banned unnecessary medical procedures on infants who are intersex. Senate Bill 201, which died in committee in January, would have postponed surgeries on intersex infants until they turn 6 years old unless they are needed to protect the health of the child.
Approximately 1-2% percent of people are born with variations in bodily sex characteristics. Intersex is an umbrella term for differences in sex traits or reproductive anatomy. People are born with these differences or develop them in childhood. There are many possible differences in genitalia, hormones, internal anatomy, or chromosomes.
The study showed that some 60% of those sampled showed indications of depression and/or anxiety via use of a screening tool, according to Jason D. Flatt, Ph.D., MPH, a gay man who is a UCSF co-author of the report. Read more via Bay Area Reporter
Rosenwohl-Mack, Amy, et al. "A national study on the physical and mental health of intersex adults in the US." PloS one 15.10 (2020): e0240088.
Abstract
Objectives
To describe the health of intersex adults (people with differences of sex development) in the U.S. using community-based research methods.
Methods
In July–September 2018, we conducted a national health study of intersex adults aged 18 and older in the U.S., using a survey hosted on Qualtrics. The study describes the physical and mental health experiences of intersex adults, including differences by age (18 to 39 vs. 40 and older). Questions were derived from national (Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System) and intersex-related health studies.
Results
A non-probability sample of 198 intersex adults completed the survey over three months. Over 43% of participants rated their physical health as fair/poor and 53% reported fair/poor mental health. Prevalent health diagnoses included depression, anxiety, arthritis, and hypertension, with significant differences by age. Nearly a third reported difficulty with everyday tasks and over half reported serious difficulties with cognitive tasks.
Conclusions
To our knowledge, this is the first national study of intersex adults in the U.S. Greater understanding of intersex health over the life course is essential. Findings highlight the need for longitudinal studies and further examination of potential health disparities experienced by intersex populations.