Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw, Ul. Stawki 5/7, 00-183, Warsaw, Poland.
Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Arch Sex Behav. 2022 May;51(4):2199-2212. doi: 10.1007/s10508-021-02245-9. Epub 2022 Jun 2.
The link between gender nonconformity and psychopathology may be due in part to negative childhood experiences resulting from other people's reactions to gender nonconformity. The aim of this study was to test whether recalled perceived levels of parental and peer acceptance of childhood gender nonconforming behaviors and play mediate the relationship of childhood gender nonconformity with depression and social anxiety in adulthood. We also tested whether this relationship was moderated by sexual orientation and, among gay men, whether internalized homophobia was an additional mediator. All variables were measured in a large sample of male participants using self-report (n = 449 gay men, age: M = 27.8 years, SD = 6.69; and n = 296 heterosexual men, age: M = 27.4 years, SD = 6.57) in Poland. Gay men reported more childhood gender nonconformity than heterosexual men. The relationship between gender nonconformity and depressive symptoms as well as social anxiety symptoms was significant in both gay and heterosexual men. Among gay men, this relationship was partially mediated by peer but not parental acceptance of the measured aspects of gender nonconformity and internalized homophobia. Among heterosexual men, recalled perceived parental acceptance of gender nonconformity partially mediated the relationship between gender nonconformity and depressive and social anxiety symptoms. Our findings were partially in line with those found in Western European and North American samples. Although the two groups differed in their recalled perceived gender nonconformity, they did not differ in their depression or social anxiety scores. Nevertheless, childhood gender nonconformity may be an indirect risk associated with mental health symptoms, irrespective of sexual orientation. Its higher prevalence among nonheterosexual individuals makes it a particular risk for this group.
性别不一致与精神病理学之间的联系可能部分归因于由于他人对性别不一致的反应而导致的负面童年经历。本研究旨在检验童年时期性别不一致行为和游戏中被感知到的父母和同伴接受程度是否可以作为成年期抑郁和社交焦虑与性别不一致之间关系的中介因素。我们还检验了这种关系是否受到性取向的调节，以及在男同性恋者中，内化的恐同是否是另一个中介因素。在波兰，使用自我报告（n=449 名男同性恋者，年龄：M=27.8 岁，SD=6.69；n=296 名异性恋男性，年龄：M=27.4 岁，SD=6.57）对大量男性参与者进行了所有变量的测量。男同性恋者报告的童年性别不一致程度高于异性恋男性。性别不一致与抑郁症状以及社交焦虑症状之间的关系在男同性恋者和异性恋男性中均具有统计学意义。在男同性恋者中，这种关系部分由同伴对所测性别不一致方面的接受程度以及内化的恐同来介导，但不是由父母接受程度来介导。在异性恋男性中，回忆起的父母对性别不一致的接受程度部分介导了性别不一致与抑郁和社交焦虑症状之间的关系。我们的发现与在西欧和北美样本中发现的结果部分一致。尽管这两个群体在回忆起的性别不一致程度上有所不同，但他们在抑郁或社交焦虑得分上没有差异。然而，童年时期的性别不一致可能是一种与心理健康症状相关的间接风险因素，与性取向无关。它在非异性恋个体中的更高流行率使其成为该群体的特殊风险因素。
