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The Adolescent Brain Cognitive DevelopmentSM (ABCD) study is a longitudinal study of adolescent brain development and health that includes over 11,800 youth in the United States. The ABCD study includes broad developmental domains, and gender and sexuality are two of these with noted changes across late childhood and early adolescence. The Gender Identity and Sexual Health (GISH) workgroup recommends measures of gender and sexuality for the ABCD study, prioritizing those that are developmentally sensitive, capture individual differences in the experience of gender and sexuality, and minimize participant burden. This manuscript describes the gender and sexuality measures used in ABCD and provides guidance for researchers using these data. Data showing the utility of these measures and longitudinal trends are presented. Including assessment of gender and sexuality in ABCD allows for characterization of developmental trajectories of gender and sexuality, and the broad scope of ABCD data collection allows examination of identity development in an intersectional manner.

BackgroundThere are known associations between mental health symptoms and transgender identity among adults. Whether this relationship extends to early adolescents and to gender domains other than identity is unclear. This study measured dimensions of gender in a large, diverse, sample of youth, and examined associations between diverse gender experiences and mental health.MethodsThe ABCD study is an ongoing, longitudinal, US cohort study. Baseline data (release 2.0) include 11,873 youth age 9/10 (48% female); and the 4,951 1-year follow-up visits (age 10/11; 48% female) completed prior to data release. A novel gender survey at the 1-year visit assessed felt-gender, gender noncontentedness, and gender nonconformity using a 5-point scale. Mental health measures included youth- and parent-reports.ResultsRoughly half a percent of 9/10-year-olds (n = 58) responded 'yes' or 'maybe' when asked, 'Are you transgender' at baseline. Recurrent thoughts of death were more prevalent among these youth compared to the rest of the cohort (19.6% vs. 6.4%, χ2  = 16.0, p

A diagnosis of gender dysphoria remains the primary requirement for transgender people to receive medical and legal gender affirmation services. Three focus groups conducted in 2018 with transgender and gender diverse (TGD) adolescents were assessed to understand how they define and use the term dysphoria and how the clinical discourse of gender dysphoria relates to their sense of self and overall wellness. The 21 participants (age 12–18) were primarily White (n = 19, 90%; Hispanic n = 2, 10%). Thirteen adolescents had a masculine identity, 2 feminine, and 6 genderqueer/nonbinary. TGD youth understood the clinical definition of gender dysphoria but expanded its use; reported stigma as the cause of some of their dysphoria; and used their conceptualization of dysphoria to find self-acceptance. This study highlights the perceived harm and potential limitations of using diagnostic language to define identity. However, through rescripting and self-definition, TGD youth exercise personal agency and reject stigma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]