Childhood gender dysphoria
Conservatives are applauding the outcomes of a recent study conducted by the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, which examined the progression of adolescent gender identity over a span of fifteen years, focusing on childhood gender dysphoria.
Change Over Time
Change Over Time: A recent extensive study conducted by the University of Groningen in the Netherlands followed a group of over 2,700 children aged eleven to twenty-six, exploring the evolution of their gender identity throughout the years.
Gender Non-Contentedness
Gender Non-Contentedness: The study, spanning fifteen years, sought to examine the evolution of gender dysphoria feelings from early adolescence and their progression into young adulthood.
Increases
Increases in Gender Dysphoria: The significance of the study, initiated fifteen years ago, is underscored by recent data from Definitive Healthcare indicating a notable increase in gender dysphoria diagnoses in the United States between 2018 and 2022.
Survey
The Survey Question: Within the framework of the Tracking Adolescents Individual Lives Survey, participants were administered an annual questionnaire containing a specific statement: “I wish to be of the opposite sex.
Gender identity
A Range of Answers: Upon receiving the survey, the participants were required to select their responses from a variety of provided options that spanned from “0-Not True” to “2-Very True or Often True” to track the development of their gender identity.
11-Year-Olds
11% of 11-Year-Olds: Initially, when the study commenced, eleven-year-old participants were inquired about their desire to identify as the opposite gender. Only approximately eleven percent of children displayed indications of gender non-conformity at that stage.
Results
The Results: Over the course of the research, around 78% of participants indicated that their sentiments regarding their gender remained consistent throughout their adolescent years, while 19% expressed a growing contentment with their gender as they progressed into adulthood.
Discomfort
The Remaining 2%: Following the findings where 78% of participants reported stable gender contentment and 19% experienced an increase in contentment, only 2% of the 2,700 children studied exhibited a rise in discomfort with their gender as they grew older.
Feelings
4% Feelings: At the conclusion of the study when participants reached the ages of twenty-five and twenty-six, a mere 4% of the cohort stated that they frequently or occasionally experienced gender discontentment.
Data revealed
Common Feelings for the Young: Analyzing the longitudinal data revealed that gender non-contentment was most prevalent among participants aged 10 to 12, with a notable increase in girls compared to boys at ages 13 and 16.
Self-Esteem
An Association With Low Self-Esteem: The study findings indicate a correlation between participants exhibiting high levels of gender non-contentment, facing challenges with lower self-esteem, and experiencing difficulties with their behavior and emotions.
Fluctuations
Compared to Their Peers: Participants who experienced fluctuations in gender non-contentment throughout the study generally displayed lower self-esteem at the age of 11 compared to their counterparts who did not report such sentiments.
Non-Heterosexual
Non-Heterosexual Orientations: The research also examined participants’ preferred sexual orientation at the age of twenty-two and observed that non-heterosexual orientations were more prevalent among individuals who exhibited varying levels of gender non-contentment.
Adolescence
Common Fluctuations: In conclusion, the study results indicate that variations in gender identity during adolescence are quite prevalent and constitute a natural part of the developmental journey for numerous children.
Comfort
Bringing Comfort to Children: Based on the study’s outcomes, the researchers at the University of Groningen aimed to provide reassurance to children by highlighting that gender non-contentment is a regular and acceptable experience during early stages of development.
Doubts
Normal Doubts: The scholars mentioned, “The results of the current study might help adolescents to realise that it is normal to have some doubts about one’s identity and one’s gender identity during this age period and that this is also relatively common.”
Gender-Affirming Care
Discrediting Gender-Affirming Care: Nevertheless, numerous individuals with conservative views have promptly seized upon the study’s results to undermine the provision of gender-affirming care for children.
Conservative approach
A More Conservative Approach: A prominent conservative figure, Patrick Brown from the Ethics and Public Policy Center, contends that the data validates a more conservative stance on medical treatments for transgender adolescents.
Skepticism
Conservative Skepticism: Brown said, “This study provides even more reason to be skeptical towards aggressive steps to facilitate gender transition in childhood and adolescence.”
Satisfaction
Lower Just a Few Years Later: rown further expressed, “The fact that rates of satisfaction are lower even just a few years later suggests that for the vast majority of people, prudence and caution, rather than a rush towards permanent surgeries or hormone therapies, will be the best approach for teenagers struggling to make sense of the world and their place in it.”
Alexander Sinelnikov
April 24, 2024 at 10:37 pm
А я думаю куда радуга подевалась,в штаны спрятали.