Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37792717›Full record

SynthesisPloS one2023

A systematic review of the prevalence of lifetime experience with 'conversion' practices among sexual and gender minority populations.

Travis Salway, David J Kinitz, Hannah Kia, Florence Ashley, Dean Giustini, Amrit Tiwana, Reilla Archibald, Amirali Mallakzadeh, Elisabeth Dromer, Olivier Ferlatte and 2 more

Open access · goldAbstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in PloS one, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
6.7field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 20 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Potential Harm in the Psychological Treatment of Sexual and Gender Minority Youth.Research on child and adolescent psychopathology · 2025
    Review
  4. Observational
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors at 6 institutions in 1 country.

Travis SalwayFaculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-5699-5444
David J KinitzDalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.ORCID 0000-0001-7812-0027
Hannah KiaSchool of Social Work, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Florence AshleyFaculty of Law & Joint Centre for Bioethics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Dean GiustiniBiomedical Branch Library, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-6197-8788
Amrit TiwanaFaculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.ORCID 0000-0003-3917-4166
Reilla ArchibaldFaculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
Amirali MallakzadehFaculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
Elisabeth DromerSchool of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-9144-0831
Olivier FerlatteÉcole de santé publique, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Quebec, Canada.
Trevor GoodyearCentre for Gender and Sexual Health Equity, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-7068-575X
Alex AbramovichDalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-4803-8724
Simon Fraser University · CAUniversity of British Columbia · CAUniversity of Toronto · CACentre for Addiction and Mental Health · CACentre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal · CAUniversity of Ottawa · CA

Funding

Mentoring the next generation of addiction clinician scientists while responding to the opioid epidemicR25DA037756 · NIDA · UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA · PI FAIRBAIRN, NADIA · 2014 to 2023
$3.6M
NIDA NIH HHS R25 DA037756
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

rationaleConversion practices (CPs) refer to organized attempts to deter people from adopting or expressing non-heterosexual identities or gender identities that differ from their gender/sex assigned at birth. Numerous jurisdictions have contemplated or enacted legislative CP bans in recent years. Syntheses of CP prevalence are needed to inform further public health policy and action.

objectivesTo conduct a systematic review describing CP prevalence estimates internationally and exploring heterogeneity across country and socially relevant subgroups.

methodsWe performed literature searches in eight databases (Medline, Embase, PsycInfo, Social Work Abstracts, CINAHL, Web of Science, LGBTQ+ Source, and Proquest Dissertations) and included studies from all jurisdictions, globally, conducted after 2000 with a sampling frame of sexual and gender minority (SGM) people, as well as studies of practitioners seeing SGM patients. We used the Hoy et al. risk of bias tool for prevalence studies and summarized distribution of estimates using median and range.

resultsWe identified fourteen articles that reported prevalence estimates among SGM populations, and two articles that reported prevalence estimates from studies of mental health practitioners. Prevalence estimates among SGM samples ranged 2%-34% (median: 8.5). Prevalence estimates were greater in studies conducted in the US (median: 13%), compared to Canada (median: 7%), and greater among transgender (median: 12%), compared to cisgender (median: 4%) subsamples. Prevalence estimates were greatest among people assigned male at birth, whether transgender (median: 10%) or cisgender (median: 8%), as compared to people assigned female at birth (medians: 5% among transgender participants, 3% among cisgender participants). Further differences were observed by race (medians: 8% among Indigenous and other racial minorities, 5% among white groups) but not by sexual orientation.

conclusionsCPs remain prevalent, despite denouncements from professional bodies. Social inequities in CP prevalence signal the need for targeted efforts to protect transgender, Indigenous and racial minority, and assigned-male-at-birth subgroups.

Indexed as

Sexual and Gender MinoritiesTransgender PersonsFemaleGender IdentityHumansMalePrevalenceSexual Behavior

Identifiers

PMID37792717
PMCPMC10550144
OpenAlexW4387331500

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.