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The levels of personality domains captured by the Big Five Inventory among gender non-binary adolescents (N = 52).
Source publication
Background
Non-binary gender adolescents are particularly vulnerable and more likely to be exposed to several socio-psychological difficulties and disorders. It is vital to discover and act on the vulnerabilities they encounter. The present study aims to describe the somatic and mental health, affect state, frequency of risk behaviors, victimizatio...
Citations
... In another study from the USA, Roberts et al. (2021) found that symptoms of eating disorders (purging, caloric restriction, excessive exercise, and muscle building) were higher among gender-minority adolescents than cisgender adolescents. A psychosocial picture of nonbinary adolescents from five countries e Sweden, Morocco, Serbia, Vietnam, and the USe was presented by Johansson et al. (2022). The teens reported many somatic problems, as well as depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder. ...
Adolescents who identify as cis-gender girls or boys, transgender, or non-binary experience different cultural ecologies and negotiate their gender development in distinct ways. Research comparing boys and girls has revealed differences in romance and sexuality, relationships with parents and peers, as well as risks and psychological disorders. The challenges posed by climate change, migration, and technological advances are also gendered. Comprehensive theories of gender that recognize non-binary genders are emerging, and future research needs to expand research beyond binary categories.
... In another study from the USA, Roberts et al. (2021) found that symptoms of eating disorders (purging, caloric restriction, excessive exercise, and muscle building) were higher among gender-minority adolescents than cisgender adolescents. A psychosocial picture of nonbinary adolescents from five countries e Sweden, Morocco, Serbia, Vietnam, and the USe was presented by Johansson et al. (2022). The teens reported many somatic problems, as well as depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder. ...
... Limited research is available regarding pain conditions in gender minority individuals, and few studies have examined alcohol-pain interactions in these groups. One recent study found that non-binary adolescents report greater pain intensity compared to cisgender adolescents [84]. ...
Purpose of Review
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) and chronic pain are frequently comorbid conditions. This review aims to communicate recent research describing the bidirectional effects of pain experience and alcohol use, while focusing on sex and gender differences at this intersection with an emphasis on translational research.
Recent Findings
Most pain syndromes affect people assigned female at birth (AFAB). Although people assigned male at birth (AMAB) typically drink more than AFABs, AFABs progress to AUD more quickly and experience more alcohol-related comorbidities. In the preclinical setting, different alcohol models highlight sex differences in the escalation of alcohol drinking, while a state of alcohol dependence appears to produce sex-specific alterations in withdrawal-induced pain- and anxiety-like behaviors.
Summary
Preclinical and clinical studies are accelerating in order to elucidate important sex differences in both chronic pain and AUD. A better understanding of the physiological mechanisms underlying pain and AUD will support the discovery of more effective, potentially sex-specific, therapeutic options for these devastating co-morbid conditions.
... While research on SGM young people in recent years appears to be growing, of the 79 papers included in this review, only one-third (n = 29, 34.18%) specifically focused on SGM young people ages 10-24 [26, 28, 30, 35, 38, 39, 41, 43, 45-47, 50, 52, 57, 58, 60, 61, 66-69, 75, 79-81, 83, 96]. Research that focused on young sexual minority women or women who have sex with women (WSW) [81] and non-binary adolescents [47] in LMICs was the most lacking in this review, with just one included study each (excluding reviews). Additionally, although this review included extensive search terms for all LMICs (see Appendix)-265 country terms, 31 regional terms, and 54 LMIC text words-only three included papers utilized data from studies conducted exclusively in a low-income country (all from Uganda), with the majority of included papers drawing on data from lower-middle-income countries. ...
Background
There is a lack of reliable data on the size, characteristics, and experiences of sexual and gender minority (SGM) young people (ages 10–24) in low- and lower-middle- income countries (LMICs). This review examines the research conducted in the last thirteen years with and about SGM young people living in low-income settings and seeks to answer the question: What is known about the mental and physical health needs, safety, and wellbeing of SGM young people living in LMICs?
Methods
We conducted a scoping review informed by the methodological frameworks put forth by Arksey and O’Malley and the Joanna Briggs Institute. We systematically searched two general social science databases and one topic-specific database for peer-reviewed papers, of any research design, that included SGM young people or explored attitudes toward SGM young people in LMICs. We included papers that reported on factors influencing the health and wellbeing of SGM populations, including physical and mental health, healthcare-seeking behaviors, substance use, experiences of discrimination and/or stigma, experiences of violence and abuse (emotional, physical, and/or sexual), economically motivated paid sex practices, housing or economic security, and attitudes of others toward SGM populations.
Results
Of the 5,409 unique records identified, 79 papers drawing from data collected from 74 unique studies met the inclusion criteria. Only 50 of the 79 papers included SGM young people as participants, with just 13 focusing exclusively on SGM young people ages 10–24. The included papers were classified into three thematic groupings: attitudes toward SGM populations (n = 26), risks to health (n = 40), and experiences of stigma and discrimination (n = 13).
Conclusion
The findings indicate that the health and wellbeing of SGM young people in LMICs has been historically under-researched. While SGM young people have received more attention from researchers in recent years, the body of literature as a whole is disjointed and sparse, and often studies are about SGM young people, rather than with and for them. Our review highlights the need for more and better research, more accurate and disaggregated demographic data, and leadership and participation of SGM-led community-based organizations in the co-design of studies that focus on SGM young people.
... Seventh, gender was measured as biological sex assigned by birth (either girl or boy), thus not taking gender identity into account. Mounting evidence suggests that non-binary youth are at increased risk for psychiatric symptoms (e.g., Johansson et al., 2022;Price-Feeney et al., 2020) and theories on the gender difference in depression are limited by the gender binary. Notably, current surveys in Norway indicate that 0.4% of adults do not consider themselves as males or females and that 0.005% do not know (Statistics Norway, 2021). ...
In the transition from childhood into adolescence, a female preponderance in depression emerges. Despite substantial empirical research to test theoretical propositions as to why this happens, our understanding is still limited. One explanation claims that girls become exposed to more stress (stress exposure model) whereas another proposes that girls become more vulnerable to the impact of stress (stress reactivity model) than boys when entering adolescence. Stressful life events (SLEs) and bullying victimization are established risk factors for adolescent depression. However, whether these factors contribute to the gender difference in depression is undetermined and thus investigated herein. Children (49.9% boys; n = 748) and parents from two birth cohorts in Trondheim, Norway, were followed biennially from ages 8 to 14 with clinical interviews about symptoms of depressive disorders and self-reports on SLEs. Teachers reported on bullying victimization. Prospective associations were investigated using an autoregressive latent trajectory model with structured residuals, examining within-person longitudinal associations while accounting for all time-invariant confounding effects. The number of depressive symptoms increased from ages 12 to 14 among girls. In the period before (ages 10 to 12), girls and boys were equally exposed to SLEs and bullying victimization. Increased stress (both SLEs and bullying victimization) at age 12 predicted increased depression at age 14 more strongly among girls than boys. Hence, increased impact-but not exposure-of SLEs and bullying victimization in girls may partly explain the emerging female preponderance in depression, in line with a stress reactivity model.
... Included in these socio-cultural factors are changes in gender terminology and gender roles and the diversification of gender identities during recent decades [35]. In a culture and healthcare environment that is still cis-normative, the well-being and psychosocial maturation of adolescents who are not cis-gender are more strongly and negatively affected than those of their cis-gender peers [48]. Increased knowledge of and respect for gender diversity and the acknowledgment of evolving, declining gender differences (which are more pronounced in some cultures than in others) are necessary in all aspects of society, including revalidation of screening instruments. ...
... The fact that an increased proportion of adolescents, independent of their identified genders [48], increased their illegal drug use during 2020 calls for awareness in different fields of society. Are we prepared to detect those at risk and help those in need, regardless of their gender identities? ...
This study describes gender-specific patterns in alcohol and drug use among Swedish high school students throughout 2020 and questions the current cutoffs for identifying addiction in this population.
From September 2020 to February 2021, 1590 Swedish upper secondary high school students (mean age 17.15 years, age range 15–19 years, 39.6% male, and 60.4% female) completed the anonymous, electronic survey of the Mental and Somatic Health without borders study. The respondents reported their substance use habits during the previous 12 months using the Drug Use Disorders Identification Test (DUDIT) and Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). They also answered questions about changes in their alcohol and illegal drug use habits after the COVID-19 outbreak.
No gender differences were detected in the prevalence and degree of alcohol use. Compared to female adolescents, significantly more male adolescents used drugs (and to a significantly higher degree, although with a small effect size). Substance use problems peaked in females at age 17 and in males at age 18. The COVID-19 outbreak affected alcohol consumption and illegal drug use in male and female adolescents similarly. For both genders, of those who used illegal drugs, over 40% reported increased use after the outbreak. Our results reinforce previous suggestions of the narrowing of gender differences in Swedish adolescents’ risk behaviors and challenge the previously validated gender-specific cutoffs for the AUDIT and DUDIT. An improved understanding of the impacts of gender diversity and evolving gender roles and norms on behaviors and mental health is warranted.
Este artículo examina el potencial transformador de adoptar un enfoque no binario en el derecho internacional, enfocándose particularmente en el derecho internacional económico. Las categorías binarias tradicionales de sexo y género dentro de los marcos legales no solo restringen una comprensión integral de la diversidad humana, sino que también perpetúan desigualdades sistémicas. Al desafiar estos binarios, el artículo discute cómo el derecho internacional puede evolucionar para representar de manera holística la diversidad global. El artículo aborda la resistencia enfrentada al integrar perspectivas no binarias debido a las normas culturales, sociales y políticas predominantes. Sobre esta base, las investigaciones futuras podrían profundizar cómo los conceptos no binarios podrían incorporarse en las perspectivas del comercio internacional y explorar las intersecciones de género, raza y clase en nuestra compresión del derecho internacional. En última instancia, el artículo aboga por un marco de derecho internacional que no solo reconozca sino que celebre e incorpore sistemáticamente un espectro de identidades de género, cumpliendo así su promesa de universalidad.