Rapid-onset gender dysphoria: Parent reports on 1655 possible cases
Suzanna Diaz1 - J. Michael Bailey2
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Reçu : 28 janvier 2022 / Révisé : 25 février 2023 / Accepté : 27 février 2023 © L'auteur(s) 2023
Summary
Over the past decade, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of adolescents and young adults (AYA) complaining of gender dysphoria. One influential, if controversial, explanation is that this increase reflects a socially contagious syndrome: Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria (ROGD). We present the results of a survey of parents who contacted the ParentsofROGDKids.com website because they thought their AJA children were suffering from rapid-onset gender dysphoria. The results involved 1,655 AJA children whose gender dysphoria began between the ages of 11 and 21 inclusive. These young people were disproportionately (75%) natural females. The onset of dysphoria was later (1.9 years) in boys than in girls, and they were much less likely to have taken steps towards a social gender transition (65.7% for girls vs. 28.6% for boys). Pre-existing mental health problems were common, and young people with these problems were more likely than others to have made a social and medical transition. Parents reported that they often felt pressured by clinicians to affirm their AJA child's new gender and support his transition. According to parents, AJA children's mental health deteriorated significantly after social transition. We discuss potential biases in the survey responses of this sample and conclude that there is currently no reason to believe that the reports of parents who support gender transition are more accurate than those who oppose it. To resolve the controversies surrounding rapid-onset gender dysphoria, it is desirable that future research include data provided by both pro- and anti-transition parents, as well as their dysphoric AJA children.
Key words: Rapid-onset gender dysphoria - Adolescent gender dysphoria - Gender dysphoria - Transgender