title: Current and recalled childhood gender identity in community youth in comparison to referred adolescents seeking sex reassignment.
abstract: We studied current (GIDYQ-A) and recalled (RCGI) childhood gender identity among 719 upper secondary school students 401 girls, mean age 17.0 (SD = 0.88) years old and 318 boys, mean age 17.2 (SD = 0.86 years old in Finland. We also compared these dimensions of identity in community youth to same dimensions among adolescent sex reassignment (SR) applicants. Most community youth scored high on the normative, cis-gender end of gender experience (median score 4.9 for boys and 4.9 for girls) and recalled fairly gender typical childhood behaviours and experiences. The girls displayed more gender non-conformity in childhood. Among the boys 2.2% and among the girls 0.5% displayed potentially clinically significant gender dysphoria on the GIDYQ-A. The community youth differed clearly from adolescent SR applicants on current and recalled childhood gender identity (SR applicants were 47, 6 natal boys and 41 natal girls, average ages were 16.4 years old (SD = 0.93) and girls were on average 16.8 years old (SD = 1.0).
authors.affiliation: Tampere University Hospital, Department of Adolescent Psychiatry, Box 2000, 33521, Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sumia
authors.affiliation: Helsinki University and Helsinki University Hospital, Forensic Psychiatry, Kellokoski Hospital, 04500, Kellokoski, Finland.
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lindberg
authors.affiliation: Tampere University Hospital, Department of Adolescent Psychiatry, Box 2000, 33521, Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: Marja
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Työläjärvi
authors.affiliation: Tampere University Hospital, Department of Adolescent Psychiatry, Box 2000, 33521, Tampere, Finland; University of Tampere, School of Medicine, 33014, University of Tampere, Finland; Vanha Vaasa Hospital, Vierinkiventie 1, 65380, Vaasa, Finland. Electronic address: merihe@uta.fi.
authors.forename: Riittakerttu
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kaltiala-Heino
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D000068116:Gender Dysphoria / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005783:Gender Identity; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D057829:Gender-Affirming Procedures / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Adolescence; Gender dysphoria; Gender identity