Drag as a meaningful occupation: A scoping review.

Twenty-two of the 34 studies came from the United States, so what they describe may reflect the American social and legal context rather than drag generally; the authors say the experience is likely to vary across countries. Thirty-one of the 34 studies were qualitative and none used a comparison group, so nothing here shows that drag causes any health outcome, good or bad. The samples are skewed. Eighteen studies looked only at drag queens, 3 only at drag kings, and no study looked at audiences, so drag kings and other performers are thinly represented. The meaning of 'drag' has changed over time, so the search also included older terms such as cross-dressing and impersonator. That widens the net but risks pulling in studies that are not about drag and missing ones that are. Grey literature was excluded and only English and French studies were included, so relevant work in other languages or outside journals was missed. The authors did not consult stakeholders, which they note could have improved the credibility and usefulness of the results. Several studies reported higher rates of anxiety and depression but none tested why; the authors state that no clear cause was demonstrated, and they note that intersectionality was only minimally addressed in the studies they reviewed.

The authors declare no conflicts of interest. No funding source is reported in the article text.

Do not read this as evidence that drag, or drag-based activities, works as a treatment. It is a scoping review of 34 mostly qualitative studies describing what performers say about their own occupation. No intervention was tested, there was no comparison group, and the authors state that no clear cause was demonstrated for the higher rates of anxiety and depression symptoms the studies reported.