Gender incongruence in childhood and puberty: an analysis of identity persistence

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Different studies indicate a great variation in the rates of identity persistence in boys, girls and adolescents with gender incongruity.

Objective: To describe the percentage of identity persistence and desistance of girls, boys and adolescents attended to, due to expressions and feelings of non-congruent gender in the Gender Identity Unit (GIU).

Material and methods: Cross-sectional study in a cohort of girls, boys and pubescents who have been attended between 2012 and 2020, aged between 3 and 11 years. The data collection was done through the information recorded in the medical records and was completed with telephone interviews with minors and parents who had not received care in the last six months.

Results: The final sample consisted of 71 subjects, 15 (21.1%) trans boys, 45 (63.4%) trans girls, and 11 (15.5%) gender variants. 39 (54.9%) came in early childhood (0-6 years) and 32 (45.1%) in middle childhood-puberty (7-11 years). The mean follow-up time between the first visit and the last was 2.55 years. In 65 cases (91.5%) the gender inconsistency remained persistent and in six (8.5%) there was desistance. 22 cases (30.9%) had manifested body dysphoria, 12 (16.9%) had started hormonal treatment to block puberty and of these, half had started cross-hormonal treatment.

Conclusions: The persistence of gender incongruity in the childhood-puberty group is the majority (91.5%). The sex-gender ratio is in favor of trans girls and there is an increase in gender variants.