TY - JOUR
T1 - Evidence needed to understand gender identity
T2 - Commentary on Turban & Ehrensaft (2018)
AU - Berenbaum, Sheri A.
N1 - Funding Information:
The author is grateful to Carol Lynn Martin and Judith Elaine Owens Blakemore for thoughtful and helpful feedback on an earlier version of the commentary. The author’s research has been supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, HD19644 and HD057930.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.
PY - 2018/12
Y1 - 2018/12
N2 - Turban and Ehrensaft (2018) have provided a thoughtful review of transgender identity in children and adolescents, emphasizing the benefits of the affirmative approach in maintaining positive psychological health in transgender individuals. The review reveals significant gaps in our understanding of gender identity regarding its nature, development, plasticity, causes, and links with other aspects of gender, and of the long-term benefits and costs of childhood social transitions. A full understanding of transgender identity requires studying cisgender identity too, and recognition that gender identity is continuous, develops across time and is not synonymous with gender expression or variations in gender-typed characteristics. Considerable evidence is needed before we can be confident that we are providing optimal treatment for children who are gender variant.
AB - Turban and Ehrensaft (2018) have provided a thoughtful review of transgender identity in children and adolescents, emphasizing the benefits of the affirmative approach in maintaining positive psychological health in transgender individuals. The review reveals significant gaps in our understanding of gender identity regarding its nature, development, plasticity, causes, and links with other aspects of gender, and of the long-term benefits and costs of childhood social transitions. A full understanding of transgender identity requires studying cisgender identity too, and recognition that gender identity is continuous, develops across time and is not synonymous with gender expression or variations in gender-typed characteristics. Considerable evidence is needed before we can be confident that we are providing optimal treatment for children who are gender variant.
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U2 - 10.1111/jcpp.12997
DO - 10.1111/jcpp.12997
M3 - Comment/debate
C2 - 30450644
AN - SCOPUS:85056697427
SN - 0021-9630
VL - 59
SP - 1244
EP - 1247
JO - Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines
JF - Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines
IS - 12
ER -