The Harvard School of Public Health and Children’s Hospital Boston found that children, who do not conform to gender roles, are at higher risk for being abused by their families and friends, compared to children who do conform to gender roles. This puts these abused children at higher risk for developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
When children do not conform to gender roles, it can be referred to as childhood gender nonconformity. This occurs when children do not conform to psychological or sociological patterns typical for their gender. This can be observed as having a preference for playmates of the opposite sex, enjoying activities that are typically chosen for the opposite gender, and having a tendency to cross-dress.
In the study, 9,000 young adults, who participated in the Growing Up Today study in 1996, were polled. Surveys included questions regarding their childhood experiences, like what kind of toys they enjoyed, who they commonly played with, media characters they admired, and if they identified being more feminine or masculine. In addition, they were asked if they were physically, sexually, or emotionally abused, and were later screened for PTSD.
In conclusion, researchers found that adult men and women who were drawn to toys, TV shows, and characters that were typically associated with the opposite gender, as children, were more likely to report abuse. The rates of PTSD doubled among young adults who reported having gender-nonconforming childhoods, compared to young adults who did not. In addition, 39 percent of women who had reported tendencies toward nonconformity experienced some type of abuse, compared to 30 percent of men.
About one in 10 children, under the age of 11 years old, display gender-nonconformity. In addition, it remains unclear why these children experience more abuse. One theory is because parent’s feel uncomfortable with their child’s behavior, which they may see as an indicator for homosexual tendencies. However, according to the study, 85 percent of gender-nonconforming children were heterosexual in adulthood.
PTSD is serious disorder that develops after witnessing or surviving a traumatic event, including physical or sexual abuse. Common PTSD symptoms include flashbacks of the event and sleeping problems.
On school playgrounds, bullying is a problem that can emotionally damage young children. Gender-nonconforming children often do get bullied because they enjoy different activities and things than other children their age and gender. Their parents sometimes feel embarrassed that their child is different. As a result, these gender-nonconforming children are at higher risk of abuse and emotional scarring.
While gender roles are changing in today’s world for men and women, some parents are self-conscious of their child’s behavior, especially if they do not conform to society’s tendencies. Instead, parents should be more open-minded and alter their parenting style to be supportive of their child’s interests.
Signs of child abuse include observing feelings of isolation, depression, aggressiveness, and low self-care/self-esteem.
This study was reported in the journal Pediatrics.
