Meta-analysis examines the relationship between gender non-conformity and mental health

New research from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London, in collaboration with Sichuan University, Chengdu, has found that people who exhibit traits and behaviors that differ from gender stereotypes are at greater risk for a range of common mental health problems, including anxiety, depression and low self-esteem.

The researchers analyzed published reports from 1975 that examined the relationship between gender nonconformity and poor mental health, with a total sample size of between 25,000 and 142,000 participants, depending on the mental health problem studied.

The research, published in Clinical Psychology Reviewfound that higher levels of gender nonconformity (that is, when a person’s interests, behavior, appearance, or personality traits do not conform to gender stereotypes and societal norms) were associated with higher levels of generalized anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms and lower self-esteem. and an increased risk of self-harm and suicide attempts.

The association with generalized anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, and self-esteem was stronger in men than in women, and the association with depressive symptoms was stronger in adolescence than in childhood.

The authors explain that the link with mental health problems may be due to a lack of tolerance for gender non-conforming behaviors or traits in societies, resulting in victimization.

“Specifically, gender non-conformity was reported, where focusing on behavior rather than dispositions was consistently associated with poorer mental health, but depended on the type of mental health problem studied, as well as factors such as gender and age.

“Our results suggest that greater understanding and tolerance of behavior that differs from gender stereotypes could be beneficial to the mental health of individuals who exhibit greater gender non-conformity. Further research into potential interventions to improve overall psychological well-being in people who exhibit greater gender non-conformity.” is also needed,” said Dr. Yin Xu, senior research fellow at Sichuan University and first author of the study.

The perception of gender non-conformity – which is separate from ‘gender identity’ – depends on societal norms, and can therefore vary between countries and cultures.

The researchers also found that behavior-based nonconformity (which is more socially visible) was more strongly related to depressive symptoms and self-esteem than personality trait-based nonconformity.

“There was no influence of sexual orientation on the pattern we found, which is unusual because gender nonconformity and non-heterosexuality are strongly linked across the life course. It appears that gender nonconformity is associated with poorer mental health, regardless of one’s sexuality.

“The fact that the association was stronger in adolescence is consistent with the growing picture from our research program showing that vulnerabilities early in life among gender nonconforming and LGBTQ+ people are linked to their prevalence of poorer mental health,” says Dr. Qazi Rahman, Co-Director of the LGBTQ+ Mental Health Research Group at King’s IoPPN and senior author of the study.

Dr. Rahman continued: “Being targeted for victimization because of one’s own gender non-conforming behavior is likely a precipitating factor. However, other factors early in life may also be important.”