A Harvard study says one in 10 children is at risk of abuse and more likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder if they exhibit gender behaviour different than that typically expressed by their biological sex.
A new study led by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health found that when children’s activities, interests and pretend playing isn’t that typically expressed by their biological sex — “gender nonconformity” — they face an increased risk of being physically, psychologically and sexually abused.
They also face an increased risk of suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), linked to risky behaviour such as engaging in unprotected sex and physical maladies such as chronic pain.
“The abuse we examined was mostly perpetrated by parents or other adults in the home,” said lead author Andrea Roberts, a research associate in the Department of Society, Human Development, and Health at Harvard.
“Parents need to be aware that discrimination against gender nonconformity affects one in 10 kids, affects kids at a very young age, and has lasting impacts on health,” said Roberts.
“Oftentimes when people think of non-conforming kids, they think of boys insisting on wearing dresses or girls insisting on cutting their hair short,” she said. “But that’s not the type of behaviour we're talking about here. We’re talking about two or three in every classroom. We're talking about a subtle level of non-conforming.”
There was little if any correlation between gender nonconformity and sexual orientation, said Roberts. Most children who were gender nonconforming were heterosexual in adulthood.
The researchers, led by Roberts and senior author S. Bryn Austin, associate professor in the Department of Society, Human Development, and Health at the Harvard School of Public Health, analyzed data gathered from nearly 9,000 young adults who enrolled in the study, “Growing Up Today,” in 1996.
In 2007, participants were asked to recall their childhood experiences, including their favourite toys and games. They were asked what roles they assumed while playing and what media characters they adored.
They were also asked about what physical, sexual or emotional abuse they experienced and were screened for PTSD.
Roberts and her team found that men ranked in the top 10th percentile of childhood gender nonconformity reported a higher prevalence of sexual and physical abuse before age 11 and a higher prevalence of psychological abuse between ages 11 and 17 compared with those below the median of nonconformity.
Women in the top 10th percentile reported a higher prevalence of all forms of abuse. Rates of PTSD were almost twice as high among young adults who were gender nonconforming in childhood than among those who were not.
Roberts’ advice to parents is to be proactive.
“If they have a kid whose behaviour is not gender typical, they really need to be supportive and protective of those kids,” she said. “The consequences of intolerance can be quite serious.”
Original Article
Source: Star
Author: Stephanie Findlay
A new study led by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health found that when children’s activities, interests and pretend playing isn’t that typically expressed by their biological sex — “gender nonconformity” — they face an increased risk of being physically, psychologically and sexually abused.
They also face an increased risk of suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), linked to risky behaviour such as engaging in unprotected sex and physical maladies such as chronic pain.
“The abuse we examined was mostly perpetrated by parents or other adults in the home,” said lead author Andrea Roberts, a research associate in the Department of Society, Human Development, and Health at Harvard.
“Parents need to be aware that discrimination against gender nonconformity affects one in 10 kids, affects kids at a very young age, and has lasting impacts on health,” said Roberts.
“Oftentimes when people think of non-conforming kids, they think of boys insisting on wearing dresses or girls insisting on cutting their hair short,” she said. “But that’s not the type of behaviour we're talking about here. We’re talking about two or three in every classroom. We're talking about a subtle level of non-conforming.”
There was little if any correlation between gender nonconformity and sexual orientation, said Roberts. Most children who were gender nonconforming were heterosexual in adulthood.
The researchers, led by Roberts and senior author S. Bryn Austin, associate professor in the Department of Society, Human Development, and Health at the Harvard School of Public Health, analyzed data gathered from nearly 9,000 young adults who enrolled in the study, “Growing Up Today,” in 1996.
In 2007, participants were asked to recall their childhood experiences, including their favourite toys and games. They were asked what roles they assumed while playing and what media characters they adored.
They were also asked about what physical, sexual or emotional abuse they experienced and were screened for PTSD.
Roberts and her team found that men ranked in the top 10th percentile of childhood gender nonconformity reported a higher prevalence of sexual and physical abuse before age 11 and a higher prevalence of psychological abuse between ages 11 and 17 compared with those below the median of nonconformity.
Women in the top 10th percentile reported a higher prevalence of all forms of abuse. Rates of PTSD were almost twice as high among young adults who were gender nonconforming in childhood than among those who were not.
Roberts’ advice to parents is to be proactive.
“If they have a kid whose behaviour is not gender typical, they really need to be supportive and protective of those kids,” she said. “The consequences of intolerance can be quite serious.”
Original Article
Source: Star
Author: Stephanie Findlay
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