From blues to rainbows: the mental health and wellbeing of gender diverse and transgender young people in Australia

A new report aimed at redressing the absence of positive, resilience-focused research for gender diverse and transgender young people has been released.

From Blues to Rainbows: The mental health and wellbeing of gender diverse and transgender young people in Australia, found that almost all of the young Australians surveyed had experienced abuse because of their gender diversity, ranging from verbal threats to physical violence.

The study, conducted by La Trobe University and the University of New England with funding from beyondblue surveyed 189 gender diverse and transgender young people. The study relied heavily on community consultation and inter-organisational collaboration to access the participants in a sensitive and appropriate manner.

From Blues to Rainbows also found the young people engaged in a range of activities to help themselves feel better, including listening to music (90%), talking to friends and peers (77%), and being involved in activism (62%).

The findings of the report will be presented to policy makers and schools to suggest better supports for gender diverse and transgender young people and to educate teachers and parents, whose influence is crucial to the mental health and wellbeing of all young people.