To date, little research on transgender college students has been conducted. A new study analyzed data from the Fall 2013 National College Health Assessment to examine health behavior and outcome disparities between trans- and cisgender college students. Of the more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate student respondents, 0.6% identified as transgender. The authors examined 53 variables for disparities across several domains, including mental health, sexual health, and substance use. Substance use was assessed by self-reports of past-month frequency of using specific substances, binge drinking in the past two weeks, frequency of past-year nonmedical use of prescription drugs, past-year treatment for substance use or addiction, and frequency of using harm reduction strategies when drinking (i.e., avoiding drinking games). Chi-square analyses were performed to determine whether transgender students’ responses significantly differed from those of their cisgender peers. For substance use, transgender students reported significantly higher rates of illicit substance use, binge drinking, and nonmedical use of prescription drugs (all ps < 0.001). Nearly half of transgender respondents reported using marijuana, which was significantly higher than the proportion of cisgender female respondents (p < 0.001). Alcohol use rates did not significantly differ among transgender, women, and men respondents. Transgender students also reported receiving treatment for substance use or addiction at greater rates (p < 0.001) and using harm reduction strategies at lower rates (p < 0.001) than cisgender students.
Take away: In this secondary data analysis of responses from the 2013 National College Health Assessment, transgender students were found to use illicit substances, binge drink, and misuse prescription medications at higher rates than their cisgender peers. Transgender students also reported using alcohol harm reduction strategies less frequently than cisgender students.