PATHWAYS HORIZON is an observational study exploring the health and wellbeing of over 3000 young people attending the NHS Children and Young People's Gender Services.
A new study aiming to provide better evidence to understand the needs of young people experiencing gender incongruence has received all necessary regulatory and ethics approvals and will begin recruiting participants soon.
PATHWAYS HORIZON will be the largest observational study of its kind, at least ten times larger than any other study that has ever involved children and young people attending services for gender incongruence. It will be open to young people attending the NHS Children and Young People's Gender Services, with over 3,000 young people expected to take part.
PATHWAYS HORIZON will closely follow the quality of life, physical and mental health of young people accessing the NHS Children's and Young People Gender Services throughout the study. In future, we hope to get new funding to follow these young people into late adolescence and into early adult life.
Professor Emily Simonoff, Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at King's College London's Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) and Chief Investigator of the study
"The study will provide a stronger evidence base to allow young people and their families who have support needs related to gender incongruence to make more informed decisions in future, based on what is likely to give them the best wellbeing and health in the longer term." Professor Simonoff added.
The PATHWAYS research study is led by King's College London and co-sponsored by King's and the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. NHS England commissioned and funded the study in partnership with the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
Young people with gender incongruence and their families have told us that they do not have the information that they need to make informed choices about their care.This study will follow the stories of young people as they access the NHS Children and Young People's Gender Service, where they may receive a wide range of support - from psychological therapies and occupational therapy to voice and communication interventions, and school support.
Dr Michael Absoud, Adjunct Reader & Consultant in Paediatric Neurodisability at King's College London and deputy chief investigator for the study
"By linking these interventions and participant characteristics to long-term outcomes, we hope to build a stronger evidence base to guide personalised care for each young person," Dr Absoud concluded.
Dr Camilla Kingdon, independent chair of the NHS Children and Young People's Gender Service National Provider Network for England, who is not involved in the study said:
"As a paediatrician I have always sought to provide evidence-based care for my patients. As Chair of the NHS Children and Young People's Gender Service National Provider Network, I am struck by the very significant and varied needs of the young people we care for.
"So, I am delighted and excited that PATHWAYS Horizon will soon start enrolling children and young people with the express purpose of guiding us to provide personalised care that better meets their needs. This study will be the first of its kind in the world and couldn't be more timely."
For more details, including the study protocol and FAQs, please see the PATHWAYS HORIZON study webpage.
