Our long term mission is to improve mental health therapy for stigmatized youth. To accomplish this, we conduct research in 3 domains.
(1) Identify the unique experiences of youths with 1+ stigmatized identities
Examples: discrimination, bullying, supportive caregiver experiences
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(2)​ Determine how stigmatized youths' unique experiences affect their ​mental health + wellbeing
Examples: internalized transphobia, social isolation
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(3) Identify methods of improving therapy for stigmatized youth
Examples: effective gender-affirming care training methods, caregiver engagement skills
PictureGraphical abstract from our study on therapy experiences (click to expand)

Current Projects

What Kinds of Supportive and Adverse Experiences are Gender Minority Youth Experiencing?
With support from the The Pershing Square Fund for Research on the Foundations of Human Behavior, we are collaborating with the Yale Gender Center to analyze clinical interview and survey data from trans/non-binary youths and their caregivers to identify: (a) their experiences of adversity within and outside of therapy, (b) their supportive and unsupportive experiences with caregivers, and (c) the impact of those experiences on depression and anxiety. 
Papers
  1. Price, M., Bokhour, E., Kaufman, G., Sheridan, M., Hollinsaid, N., & Olezeski, C. (under review). The experiences of gender minority adolescents and their caregivers in mental health treatment: A qualitative analysis.​ [preprint PDF]
  2. Price, M., Hollinsaid, N., Skov, H., Bokhour, E., Kaufman, G., Sheridan, M., & Olezeski, C. (in preparation). A mixed methods examination of parental support and trauma exposure in a clinic-based sample of gender minority adolescents.
Presentations
  1. Hollinsaid, N. L., Kaufman, G., Bokhour, E., Olezeski, C., & Price, M. A. (2020). A qualitative analysis of adverse childhood experiences in gender minority adolescents. Poster presentation for the annual convention of the American Psychological Association, Washington DC. [Received poster award from the Section for LGBTQ Issues, Society of Counseling Psychology (APA Division 17)]. [poster PDF]
  2. Price, M. A., Bokhour, E., Kaufman, G., Sheridan, M., & Hollinsaid, N. L. (2020, April). The therapy experiences of gender minority youths and their caregivers. Oral presentation at the Boston Children’s Hospital Behavioral Health, Endocrinology, Urology (BE-U) and Gender Multispecialty Service (GeMS) clinical research team meeting, Boston, MA. 
  3. Price, M., Hollinsaid, N., Bokhour, E. , Kaufman, G. , Sheridan, M. , Menary, W., & Olezeski, C. (2020). Gender minority youths’ experiences in mental health treatment. Oral paper presentation at the American Psychological Association Convention, Washington, D.C. [video]
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Is Psychotherapy Less Effective for Stigmatized Youth (Girls & Black youth) in Places with High Structural Stigma? 
Using a meta-analytic database of over 50 years of youth psychotherapy RCTs from Dr. John Weisz's Youth Mental Health Lab, we teamed with Dr. Mark Hatzenbuehler's BEST lab to examine the impact of structural stigma (i.e., laws and policies that limit the rights & wellbeing of those with stigmatized identities; e.g., policies that restrict abortion access) on psychotherapy effectiveness for girls and Black youth. We found that treatment efficacy for these groups was significantly lower in communities with high levels of structural stigma. Check out our preprints below!
Papers
  1. Price, M., Weisz, J., McKetta, S., Ford, J., Lattanner, M., Skov, H. , Wolock, E., & Hatzenbuehler, M. (under review). Cultural sexism moderates efficacy of psychological therapy for girls: Results from a spatial meta-analysis. Preprint PDF.
  2. Price, M., Weisz, J., McKetta, S., Ford, J., Lattanner, M., Reid, A., Hollinsaid, N., & Hatzenbuehler, M. (under review). Are psychotherapies less effective for Black youth in communities with higher levels of racism? Preprint

How Effective are Existing Therapies for Gender Minority Youth?
Using data from four prior randomized controlled trials of empirically-supported treatments (ESTs) for youth, we compared the effectiveness and acceptability of these therapies across cisgender and gender minority youth. Compared to cisgender youth, gender minority youth reported more severe mental health problems before treatment, demonstrated slower improvement in some of these problems, and they were less satisfied with treatment. Our findings underscore the need for gender-affirming enhancements to existing therapies, including provider-trainings in gender-affirming care. 
Papers
  1. Hollinsaid, N. L., Weisz, J. R., Chorpita, B. F., Skov, H. E., the Research Network on Youth Mental Health, & Price, M. A. (in press). The effectiveness and acceptability of empirically-supported treatments in gender minority youths across four randomized controlled trials. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. [preprint]
Presentations
  1. Hollinsaid, N. L., Weisz, J. R., & Price, M. A. (2019). The effectiveness and acceptability of evidence-based practices for gender minority youth. Poster presented at the annual convention of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Atlanta, GA. [poster PDF]
  2. Hollinsaid, N. L., Weisz, J. R., & Price, M. A. (2019). An intersectional examination of identity-based disparities in the mental health symptomatology of clinically-referred youth. Poster presented at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association, Chicago, IL.​ [poster PDF]

Is Structural Transphobia Related to Depression for Gender Minority Youth? 
We are about to launch a project supported by The Pershing Square Fund for Research on the Foundations of Human Behavior to examine whether structural transphobia (i.e., laws and policies that inhibit the rights and wellbeing of transgender and non-binary people) increases gender minority youths' risk for depression using data from the CDC's Youth Risk and Behavior Survey.