Extreme Boyhood Femininity: Isolated Behavior or Pervasive Disorder?

Coates, Susan; Person, Ethel Spector

doi:10.1016/s0002-7138(10)60113-6

Cited by 119 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Genderdysphoric children who do not receive counseling have a higher risk of behavioral and emotional problems and psychiatric diagnoses. 13,16,17 Transgender youths are also at higher risk of substance abuse, suicidal ideation, and suicidal attempts. 3,18 Of our patient population, 44.3% had a prior history of psychiatric diagnoses, 37.1% were taking psychotropic medications, and 21.6% had a history of self-injurious behavior.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Children and Adolescents With Gender Identity Disorder Referred to a Pediatric Medical Center

Spack¹,

Edwards-Leeper²,

et al. 2012

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OBJECTIVES: To describe the patients with gender identity disorder referred to a pediatric medical center. We identify changes in patients after creation of the multidisciplinary Gender Management Service by expanding the Disorders of Sex Development clinic to include transgender patients. METHODS: Data gathered on 97 consecutive patients <21 years, with initial visits between January 1998 and February 2010, who fulfilled the following criteria: long-standing cross-gender behaviors, provided letters from current mental health professional, and parental support. Main descriptive measures included gender, age, Tanner stage, history of gender identity development, and psychiatric comorbidity. RESULTS: Genotypic male:female ratio was 43:54 (0.8:1); there was a slight preponderance of female patients but not significant from 1:1. Age of presentation was 14.8 ± 3.4 years (mean ± SD) without sex difference (P = .11). Tanner stage at presentation was 4.1 ± 1.4 for genotypic female patients and 3.6 ± 1.5 for genotypic male patients (P = .02). Age at start of medical treatment was 15.6 ± 2.8 years. Forty-three patients (44.3%) presented with significant psychiatric history, including 20 reporting self-mutilation (20.6%) and suicide attempts (9.3%). CONCLUSIONS: After establishment of a multidisciplinary gender clinic, the gender identity disorder population increased fourfold. Complex clinical presentations required additional mental health support as the patient population grew. Mean age and Tanner Stage were too advanced for pubertal suppressive therapy to be an affordable option for most patients. Two-thirds of patients were started on cross-sex hormone therapy. Greater awareness of the benefit of early medical intervention is needed. Psychological and physical effects of pubertal suppression and/or cross-sex hormones in our patients require further investigation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Children and Adolescents With Gender Identity Disorder Referred to a Pediatric Medical Center

Spack¹,

Edwards-Leeper²,

et al. 2012

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“…Retrospective research in Samoa (Vasey et al, 2011) and Canada (VanderLaan, Gothreau, Bartlett & Vasey, 2011a) indicates that androphilic males recall significantly more traits of separation anxiety in childhood compared to their gynephilic counterparts. In clinical samples from Western populations, boys who are diagnosed with Gender Identity Disorder in Childhood (GIDC) also exhibit elevated traits of childhood separation anxiety (Coates & Person, 1985;Zucker, Bradley, & Sullivan, 1996). The vast majority of GIDC boys are androphilic in adulthood and, as such, are sometimes referred to as ''pre-androphilic'' (Green, 1987;Zucker & Bradley, 1995).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexual Orientation in Men and Avuncularity in Japan: Implications for the Kin Selection Hypothesis

Vasey

VanderLaan

2011

Arch Sex Behav

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The kin selection hypothesis for male androphilia posits that genes for male androphilia can be maintained in the population if the fitness costs of not reproducing directly are offset by enhancing inclusive fitness. In theory, androphilic males can increase their inclusive fitness by directing altruistic behavior toward kin, which, in turn, allows kin to increase their reproductive success. Previous research conducted in Western countries (U.S., UK) has failed to find any support for this hypothesis. In contrast, research conducted in Samoa has provided repeated support for it. In light of these cross-cultural differences, we hypothesized that the development of elevated avuncular (i.e., altruistic uncle-like) tendencies in androphilic males may be contingent on a relatively collectivistic cultural context. To test this hypothesis, we compared data on the avuncular tendencies and altruistic tendencies toward non-kin children of childless androphilic and gynephilic men in Japan, a culture that is known to be relatively collectivistic. The results of this study furnished no evidence that androphilic Japanese men exhibited elevated avuncular tendencies compared to their gynephilic counterparts. Moreover, there was no evidence that androphilic men's avuncular tendencies were more optimally designed (i.e., were more dissociated from their altruistic tendencies toward non-kin children) compared to gynephilic men. If an adaptively designed avuncular male androphilic phenotype exists and its development is contingent on a particular social environment, then the research presented here suggests that a collectivistic cultural context is insufficient, in and of itself, for the expression of such a phenotype.

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“…They found that doll play and role play as a girl associated more strongly with a homosexual outcome. Coates and Spector Person (1985) have shown that children with gender identity disorders also present with separation anxiety, depression and emotional and behavioural difficulties. In a number of cases referred to the Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) at the Portman Clinic, learning difficulties and school refusal are also present.…”

Section: Long-term Follow-up Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender identity disorder in young people

Ceglie¹

2000

Adv. psychiatr. treat

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The recent film Boys Don't Cry illustrates in a highly dramatised form the problems that the phenomenon of gender identity disorder can create in an extreme situation. The film is based on the true story of a young person, Brandon, with a female body who perceived himself as a male. In the film we do not know when the issue of his male gender identity first appeared, but we see him living in a male role as a teenager trying to conceal, to his peers, the reality of his female body. (I refer to Brandon as ‘he’ because this is how Brandon presents himself in the film. The dilemma about using ‘he’ or ‘she’ typically confronts professionals in the management of teenagers like Brandon.) The struggles of these concealments are well portrayed, as in the scene when he steals tampons from a shop. He joins in male activities and displays of physical strength as a confirmation of his male role. He is well accepted as a boy within a troubled and troublesome group of young people. He falls passionately in love with a girl, Lana, who accepts him as he is without much questioning, and a close intimate relationship develops, which the peer group seems to accept. The reality of his body is eventually revealed. His girlfriend can accept the new situation, but had she really not known or had she turned a blind eye? Unfortunately, two young men become more and more disturbed by this realisation. It stirs a primitive violence in them, which leads first to Brandon's rape and then to his murder.

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Extreme Boyhood Femininity: Isolated Behavior or Pervasive Disorder?

Cited by 119 publications

References 20 publications

Children and Adolescents With Gender Identity Disorder Referred to a Pediatric Medical Center

Children and Adolescents With Gender Identity Disorder Referred to a Pediatric Medical Center

Sexual Orientation in Men and Avuncularity in Japan: Implications for the Kin Selection Hypothesis

Gender identity disorder in young people

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