Symposia
LGBQT+
Mathijs Lucassen, Ph.D.
Senior Lecturer
The Open University
Milton Keynes, England, United Kingdom
Karolina Stasiak, Ph.D.
Senior Lecturer
The University of Auckland
Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Theresa M. Fleming, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Victoria University of Wellington
Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
Christopher A. Frampton, Ph.D.
Professor
Otago University
Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand
Yael Perry, Ph.D.
Senior Research Fellow
Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Matthew J. Shepherd, D.Clin.Psy.
Associate Professor
Massey University
Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Sally N. Merry, M.D.
Professor
The University of Auckland
Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Objective: SPARX is computerized CBT in serious game format, which is freely available in New Zealand. Users identify themselves as male, female, transgender or intersex. We aimed to establish whether adolescent transgender users of SPARX, compared to adolescent male and female users, were more likely to have high mental health needs at baseline and were more likely to complete SPARX. We also aimed to determine changes in transgender adolescents’ depressive symptoms after using SPARX. Finally, we sought to explore ways in which SPARX could be improved for transgender adolescents.
Methods: Quantitative analysis of 5 years of SPARX usage and subsequent consultation sessions with gender diverse young people to inform future enhancements of SPARX.
Results: Of the 9,079 adolescents who completed the registration process and used SPARX, 2.3% (n=207) identified as transgender. The majority of transgender registrants (69.0%) completing the baseline assessment (PHQ-Adolescent) were categorized as having high mental health needs, significantly more so than male and female registrants (p< 0.001). Over half of all SPARX registrants completed the first module of SPARX, with males (51.8%) being less likely to complete this module compared to females (54.7%) and transgender adolescents (53.6%) (p< 0.038). However, subsequently lower proportions of transgender registrants completed Module 4 (p = 0.005) and Module 7 (p=0.048). Of those registrants completing a baseline and subsequent PHQ-A, both male and female registrants had improvements in their scores (2.68 and 3.15), whereas transgender registrants did not (−0.43; p=0.048). Based on feedback, refinements designed to increase the acceptability of SPARX for transgender adolescents were planned.
Conclusion: This study described the use and impact of an e-therapy in transgender young people. Analyses suggests transgender adolescents seeking treatment for depression have particularly high mental health needs, and an existing well tested tool may be less effective for them than it is for others, suggesting targeted efforts may be required. We will discuss such efforts and reflect on their likely benefits.