ABINGTON, Pa. — Penn State Abington senior Angelea Francesco presented a research poster on self-perception, body image, and gender in Pennsylvania adolescents and young adults with gender dysphoria at the World Professional Association for Transgender Health scientific symposium in Montreal last month.
Francesco works remotely as a part-time undergraduate research assistant at Penn State Health's Gender Health Clinic. The poster information was drawn from their research performing retrospective chart reviews of patients ages 10 to 24 from primarily rural areas who are seeking specific gender-affirming healthcare.
The data included demographics such as gender, age, birth-assigned sex, and qualitative descriptions of body image, treatment goals, sexuality, and relationships with friends and family. The results were compared by both birth-assigned sex and gender (man, woman, nonbinary, uncategorizable).
"We saw a lot of variation in the ways transgender youth described their gender, but despite that, they had a very clear idea of who they were. They were very certain about the care that they wanted when they came into the medical center,” Francesco, who identifies as transgender, said.
The majority of adolescents and young adults presenting at the clinic for gender-affirming healthcare were able to describe treatment goals that are feasible with current medical knowledge and technique. All participants clearly articulated experiences, expressions, and areas of dysphoria and euphoria. The areas that caused the most distress tended to be those that are most impacted by sex hormones, such as chest and body hair.
Francesco presented their poster, answering questions and networking with clinicians and researchers from around the world. They shared credit for the research with other members of the clinic’s team: Marley Billman, clinical research coordinator; Jamal Essayli, assistant professor of pediatrics and psychiatry; and Dr. Rosemary C. Roden, assistant professor of pediatrics.
Francesco said the five-day conference was intimidating at first.
“There were a lot of big players there, and it was hard initially because I was experiencing imposter syndrome. I don’t recall seeing anyone as young as me there, and I was surrounded by people in the heart of their careers. It ultimately gave me a boost of confidence that, yes, I belong in this high-achieving space,” they said.