Newly Published Article on Conversion Therapy - Dr. Trevor Hart as Co-author

A few years back, SSCP, along with ABCT and APA, commissioned a report on conversion therapy and harms, which was released this past weekend in the American Psychologist. The article was recently published, it is called, “Harms Associated With “Conversion Therapy” (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression Change Efforts): A Systematic Search and Review”.

This systematic search and review of published articles, spanning countries and decades, on sexual orientation and gender identity and expression change efforts—so-called conversion therapies—found evidence in most included studies that sexual orientation and gender identity and expression change effort is associated with harm. Sexual orientation and gender identity and expression change effort research is methodologically diverse but, taken as a whole, supports current and future efforts by policymakers and professional organizations to proscribe the practice, especially considering effective treatment alternatives for sexual and gender minority individuals who seek professional help.

Abstract:

Sexual orientation and gender identity and expression change efforts (SOGIECE)—so-called conversion therapies—are heterogenous interventions aimed at facilitating people to conform to heterosexual and cisgender norms. Despite growing research on SOGIECE, no recent published review has described the state of the science for these practices, including documentation of potential harms. Thus, we systematically searched eight bibliographic databases for published empirical articles that documented SOGIECE exposure and quantitatively measured (a) sexual orientation or gender identity/expression change and/or (b) potential harm associated with SOGIECE. Of the 6,309 screened articles, we identified and coded 130 articles that met these eligibility criteria. Articles fit into two broad categories: those that prospectively studied outcomes following SOGIECE, with a mean publication year of 1974, and those that retrospectively examined associations between SOGIECE exposure and outcomes, with a mean publication year of 2012. For prospective studies, we systematically documented whether any of five types of harm were present (i.e., use of aversive techniques; lack of informed consent and/or coercion; increased psychopathology; negative changes in life functioning and quality of life; and negative changes in relationships). For retrospective studies, we described their methodological features and the examination of any potential associations between SOGIECE and harm. Of the 86 prospective studies, at least one harm was present in 77.91% of them. Most (68.18%) retrospective studies documented a significant association between SOGIECE and harm. This review documents consistent associations between SOGIECE exposure and harm and summarizes the methodological state of the science upon which this evidence rests.

Citation: Pachankis, J. E., Last, B. S., Eisenstadt, B. E., Brandt, S. A., Davila, J., Skinta, M. D., Freeman-Coppadge, D. J., Pantalone, D. W., Paveltchuk, F., Botanov, Y., Scheinfeld, L., Poupard, M., Williamson, N., & Hart, T. A. (2026). Harms associated with “conversion therapy” (sexual orientation and gender identity and expression change efforts): A systematic search and review.American Psychologist. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0001794