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Contextualising Experiences of Co-Occurring Mental Ill-Health and Substance Use Among Trans, Non-Binary, and Gender Diverse Young People: Implications for Tailored Harm Reduction Approaches

Though significant research highlights higher rates of mental ill-health and substance use among trans, non-binary and gender diverse (henceforth 'trans') young people, little research has considered patterns, contextual characteristics, and correlates of co-occurring experiences of mental ill-health and substance use among trans young people. 

Substance use among trans and gender diverse young people in Australia: Patterns, correlates and motivations

There is a dire paucity of research into the burden, correlates and motives of substance use among trans young people in Australia.

Trans Pathways researcher recognised as one of Australia’s Tomorrow Makers

Youth mental health researcher Penelope Strauss has been named an AMP Tomorrow Maker – the first researcher from The Kids Research Institute Australia to win one of the annual AMP Foundation grants.

Trans young people at high risk of depression and suicide

Trans Pathways is the largest ever survey conducted into the mental health of trans young people in Australia.

Survey explores mental health needs of trans and gender diverse young people

We have launched a national survey to investigate how we can better support young people who don't identify as the gender they were assigned at birth.

Penelope Strauss

Research Fellow in Youth Suicide Prevention

The Kids celebrate neurodiverse leader selected for prestigious STEM program

A remarkable Institute leader will join a cohort of 25 STEM-qualified women to take part in the prestigious 2024 Women in Leadership Development (WILD) program. 

Transforming Families

We want to better understand the relationship between parents/carers and their children who identify as trans or gender diverse with the aim of improving the well-being of the whole family.

Investigation of associations between self-reported sensory processing, eating disorder symptoms, neurodivergence, and gender congruence from a lived experience lens

Eating disorders (EDs) are increasingly recognised among neurodivergent and transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals, yet most assessment and treatment models remain grounded in cisnormative and neuronormative assumptions and frameworks. Sensory processing, spanning interoception and exteroception, has been proposed as a potential factor that may help explain observed associations between neurodivergent traits, gender incongruence, and EDs. 

Psychometric evaluation of the Comprehensive Autistic Trait Inventory in autistic and non-autistic adults

Measures of autistic traits are only useful – for pre-diagnostic screening, exploring individual differences, and gaining personal insight – if they efficiently and accurately assess autism as currently conceptualised while maintaining psychometric validity across different demographic groups. We recruited 1322 autistic and 1279 non-autistic adults who varied in autism status (non-autistic, diagnosed autistic, self-identifying autistic) and gender (cisgender men, cisgender women, gender diverse) to assess the psychometric properties of the Comprehensive Autistic Trait Inventory, a recently developed measure of autistic traits that examines six trait domains using 42 self-report statements.