Early Adolescent Gender Diversity is Associated with Self- and Parent-Reported Peer Victimization in ABCD Study

• In Event: Poster Session 08
  In Poster Session: PS 08 Topic - Sex, Gender

Abstract

Background:
Peer victimization, or bullying, is an issue faced by many in adolescence, particularly minority groups. Most research into bullying of gender minorities focuses on transgender youth and older adolescents, and neglects to consider gender as a spectrum. Therefore, research into the effects of peer victimization on gender minority youth is limited to a narrowly defined population. The goal of our study was to understand if a relationship exists between broadly defined gender diversity and peer victimization in early adolescents.

Methods:
The ABCD study is an ongoing, longitudinal, US cohort study of 11,800 youth recruited at age 9/10. Data from the 2-year follow up visit (n=6,571; 47.23% female assigned at birth), when youth were age 11/12 years were analyzed. Four felt-gender groups (defined by dimensional scoring of feeling like the sex assigned at birth and the sex not assigned at birth) were used representing progressively more gender diversity. Self-report and parent-report measures of peer victimization were assessed by felt-gender group using chi square, ANOVA and Tukey tests (alpha level of 0.05 was set a priori).

Results:
Roughly 16.5% of participants (n = 1076) at their 2-year visit reported some level of diversity in their felt-gender. Compared to youth with entirely sex-congruent felt-gender, youth with a diverse felt-gender had significantly increased self-reported peer aggression (F(4,42)=46.4, p<.001). Those with greater gender diversity reported significantly more cyberbullying (F(3,2.7)=11.3, p<.001). Parent-report of gender expression (measured dimensionally) was broadly consistent with youth report of felt-gender, however parent-report of social problems and bullying only identified the most extreme gender diverse group as having significantly more peer victimization.

Conclusion:
The results from this study demonstrate that even subtle diversity of internal experiences of gender are highly associated with increased peer victimization in early adolescents. Interestingly, parent-report of gender (gender expression) aligned with youth-reported felt-gender, yet parent-reports of peer victimization only identified the most gender diverse group. These relationships are observed in a community sample, demonstrating relevance beyond transgender identified youth. Our findings suggest that in early adolescents (age 11/12) bullying is significantly greater for gender diverse youth, highlighting the need for further research to identify protective factors and interventions to curb such experiences.

Authors

• Joshua Poirier, University of Vermont
  Presenting Author

• Sarahjane L Dube, University of Vermont
  Non-Presenting Author

• Joseph Ortigara, University of Vermont
  Non-Presenting Author

• Alexandra Potter, University of Vermont
  Non-Presenting Author