Summary: A recent study found that people who display traits or behaviors that differ from traditional gender prejudices are at a higher risk of mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. The study, which analyzed files from up to 142, 000 individuals, revealed that gender nonconformity is more clearly linked to mental health difficulties in people and children.
The research suggests that cultural bias toward gender-conforming behaviors does contribute to these mental health issues. Greater awareness and compassion of gender nonconformity might lead to improved internal well-being of the affected populations.
Important Facts:
- Gender queerness is linked to higher anxiety, sadness, and small self-esteem.
- People and children have a stronger connection between deviance and mental health issues.
- These psychological health risks may be brought on by social prejudice and abuse.
Origin: King’s College London
New research from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology &, Neuroscience ( IoPPN) at King’s College London, in partnership with Sichuan University, Chengdu, has found that people that show traits and behaviours that differ from gender stereotypes may be at greater risk of a range of common mental health difficulties, including anxiety, depression and low self-esteem.
With a total sample size of between 25, 000 and 142, 000 individuals, the researchers analyzed 1975 published studies looking at the link between poor mental health and sex queerness, based on the mental health issue being examined.
The research, published in Clinical Psychology Review, found that higher levels of gender nonconformity ( i. e., when a person’s interests, behaviours, appearance or personality traits do n’t conform to gender stereotypes and societal norms ) were linked with higher levels of generalised anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, lower self-esteem, and increased risk of self-harm and suicide attempts.
People had stronger correlations with generalized anxiety signs, depressive symptoms, and self-esteem, and youth had a stronger correlation with depressive symptoms than it did children.
The authors point out that the association with mental health issues may be brought on by a society’s inability to tolerate gender nonconforming behaviors or traits, leading to victimization.
According to research, “reported gender nonconformity was constantly linked to poorer mental health, particularly when it was focused on behaviors rather than dispositions,” but this was in accordance with both the type of mental health issue being studied as well as factors like sex and age.
Our findings point to the possibility that a greater understanding and compassion of behaviors that are contrary to gender stereotypes may be beneficial to the emotional wellbeing of those who exhibit greater female nonconformity.
Dr. Yin Xu, senior research fellow at Sichuan University and the study’s first writer, said,” There needs to be more research on possible treatments to enhance overall psychological wellbeing in people who have greater female queerness.”
Perceptions of gender nonconformity– which is distinct from “gender identity” – is dependent on cultural norms, but does vary between countries and cultures.
The researchers also found that behaviour-based nonconformity ( which is more socially visible ) was more strongly linked to depressive symptoms and self-esteem compared to personality trait-based non-conformity. These styles were not affected by sexual preference.
Being non-heterosexual and being non-heterosexual are closely related over the life-course, so it is strange that there was no effect of sexual arrangement on the style we observed.
It appears that sex queerness is related to poorer mental wellness regardless of one’s sexuality.
The fact that the connection was stronger in childhood is consistent with the increasing consensus among our program of research that found that risks early in life among gender nonconforming and LGBTQ+ individuals are linked to their majority of poorer mental health, according to Dr. Qazi Rahman, senior author of the study and co-director of the LGBTQ+ Mental Health Research Group at King’s IoPPN.
Being victimized by one’s own gender nonconforming behaviors is likely a precipitate issue, according to Dr. Rahman. However, other variables early in life might also be crucial”.
About this study on gender compliance and mental health
Publisher: Patrick O’Brien
Source: King’s College London
Contact: Patrick O’Brien – King’s College London
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Closed entry.
” Gender wrongdoing and common mental health problems: A meta-analysis” by Qazi Rahman et cetera. Clinical Psychology Review
Abstract
Gender deviance and common mental health problems: A meta-analysis
We tested the relationship between gender nonconformity and prevalent mental health benefits, including generalized anxiety symptoms, depressed symptoms, self-esteem, self-harm attempt, and suicide attempt using an complete meta-analysis.
PsycInfo, ProQuest Central, EBSCOhost, and PubMed were searched for eligible articles using either cross-sectional or longitudinal designs on 11th July 2024.
Following PRISMA, a total of 1975 articles were identified and chosen. Twenty-five, 48, 32, seven, and nine studies were included on generalized anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, self-esteem, self-harm attempts, and suicide attempts, reaching a total sample size of 142, 069, 188, 681, 27, 488, 47, 523, and 25, 573, respectively.
Meta-analyses were performed using a random-effects model stratified by mental health outcomes.
We found that higher levels of gender nonconformity were associated with higher levels of generalized anxiety ( r , = , 0.06 ) and depressive symptoms ( r , = , 0.11 ), lower levels of self-esteem ( r , = , 0.18 ), and increased risk of self-harm ( r , = , 0.17 ) and suicide attempts ( r , = , 0.14 ).
Gender nonconformity had stronger links to generalized anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, and self-esteem in men than in women. Behaviors-based gender nonconformity showed stronger links to depressive symptoms and self-esteem compared to traits-based gender nonconformity.
In adolescents ‘ samples, the association between gender nonconformity and depression symptoms was significantly larger than in children’s samples. There was no significant moderation by sexual orientation.
Depending on the specific mental health outcomes being considered and the sex, gender nonconformity is robustly related to a range of common mental health issues.
There are needs to be interventions to reduce mental health differences and improve overall well-being among those who exhibit greater gender nonconformity.
