An investigation into gender nonconformity and depression

Several studies have reported associations between childhood gender nonconformity (CGN) and depression or other mental health problems and potential mechanisms that seek to explain this association. However methodological issues limit the power of, and therefore the confidence in, their findings. Additionally, only one previous study has investigated childhood depression as an outcome variable.

The current study accesses longitudinal data to investigate whether self-esteem mediates the association between early childhood gender nonconformity and childhood depression. The dataset was obtained from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children and consisted of 15,247 records. A mediation analysis (Hayes, 2012) showed that self-esteem mediated the association between CGN and childhood depressive symptoms in females. However the effect size was very small. In males the mediation model demonstrated an association between CGN and depressive symptoms which approached significance but this was not mediated by self-esteem. Again, the effect size was very small. Study limitations were discussed, such as high levels of missing data.

Research implications include the need for further UK based, preferably longitudinal studies exploring the mechanisms which explain the association between CGN and childhood depression. This should help to develop effective, tailored clinical interventions for this client group. Additionally, community psychology and public health interventions have been discussed.