127 Perceptions on the function of puberty suppression of transgender adolescents who continued or discontinued treatment, their parents, and clinicians 7 academic gender identity clinics in the Netherlands that offered diagnostic assessment and treatment for adolescents at the time of the study. Both centres have multidisciplinary teams in which specialists in child and adolescent psychiatry and psychology, and paediatric endocrinology participate. The teams follow the same diagnostic procedures and treatment protocols. Semi-structured individual interviews were held with 14 adolescents and 12 parents. The informants consisted of: 1. Six adolescents who had been treated with PS and had discontinued this treatment; 2. Eight transgender adolescents who were treated with PS and GAH; 3. Four parents of adolescents who had discontinued treatment with PS; 4. Eight parents of adolescents who were treated with PS and GAH. Inclusion criteria for the adolescents who had discontinued treatment (group 1) were: a) diagnosis of gender dysphoria according to DSM-IV or DSM-5, depending on which version of the DSM was used at the time of diagnosis (American Psychiatric Association, 2013), b) had started PS at age 10-17 years, and c) had discontinued PS treatment. Out of 1015 adolescents diagnosed with gender dysphoria between 2000 and 2018 at the Amsterdam or Leiden gender identity clinic twenty adolescents in total were eligible. Eight adolescents could not be reached, mostly because their contact details were no longer up to date. One was not contacted because the adolescent had previously indicated that he did not want to be approached for research purposes. Two adolescents were not contacted because the involved clinician thought this was inappropriate due to, among others, comorbid mental health difficulties. Nine adolescents were asked to participate; initially the formerly involved clinician contacted the adolescent by telephone to explain what participation in the study implied and to ask if the researcher could contact the adolescent. If the adolescent agreed, the researcher contacted the adolescent to further explain the study and invite them to participate. Two adolescents declined without giving a reason, one parent did not want her child to participate because she did not think that was in the child’s best interest, and six adolescents agreed to participate. All were interviewed face-to-face at a clinic visit or at their homes if preferred, between January 2019 and September 2019. Inclusion criteria for the adolescents who had continued treatment (group 2) were: a) diagnosis of gender dysphoria according to DSM-IV or DSM-5, depending on which version of the DSM was used at the time of diagnosis (American Psychiatric Association, 2013), b) had started PS at age 10-15 years, c) had used PS for at least 12months, d) had used GAH for at least six months, and e) age at the time of the interview between 15 and 20 years. The aim was to have at least as many adolescents in group 2 as in group 1. Therefore, thirteen consecutive adolescents were asked to participate when they attended their regular follow-up appointment in February and March 2019. These adolescents were not selected
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