Petruzzelli Maria Giuseppina, Annecchini Federica, Furente Flora, Tarantino Fabio, Carruolo Valeria, Lavorato Elisabetta, Riccio Maria Pia, De Giacomo Andrea, Matera Emilia
Translational Biomedicine and Neuroscience Department (DiBraiN), University of Bari "Aldo Moro", 70124 Bari, Italy.
Department of Medical and Translational Sciences, Child Neuropsychiatry, Federico II University, Corso Umberto I 40, 80138 Napoli, Italy.
Pediatr Rep. 2025 Mar 17;17(2):37. doi: 10.3390/pediatric17020037.
Studies have consistently shown that gender-diverse youth experience higher rates of internalizing disorders and self-harm behaviors (SH) compared to their cisgender peers. However, there is limited research on how body investment and emotion regulation influence these symptoms, especially in relation to the age of gender dysphoria (GD) presentation.
This study aimed to explore the relationship between the timing of GD presentation (early vs. late) and psychological distress in adolescents seeking gender affirmation (GA), specifically focusing on internalizing symptoms, emotion regulation, and body investment. The study also investigated how SH during the year preceding the request for gender affirmation might have impacted these factors.
On a total of 80 adolescents (mean age: 14.88 years) at their first request for GA, participants were divided into two groups: early-presentation GD (EP-GD; mean age: 14.93 years) and late-presentation GD (LP-GD; mean age: 14.83 years). Among the sample, 60% exhibited SH. Internalizing symptoms, emotion regulation, and body investment were assessed using the Youth Self-Report (YSR), the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), and the Body Investment Scale (BIS).
Results revealed that LP-GD adolescents had significantly higher emotion dysregulation (ED), particularly in the Strategies domain of the DERS ( = 0.040), and more social problems in the YSR ( = 0.047) compared to EP-GD ones. SH were associated with higher internalizing symptoms, including anxiety, withdrawal, and somatic complaints ( < 0.03), as well as increased body dissatisfaction, particularly in the BIS Care and Protection dimensions ( = 0.044; = 0.034).
These findings supported the hypothesis that LP-GD adolescents and youths with a history of SH showed more pronounced emotion regulation difficulties and internalizing symptoms, further emphasizing the need for early intervention programs targeting both GD and co-occurring mental health problems.
研究一直表明，与顺性别同龄人相比，性别多样化的青少年出现内化障碍和自我伤害行为（SH）的比率更高。然而，关于身体投入和情绪调节如何影响这些症状的研究有限，尤其是与性别焦虑症（GD）出现的年龄相关的研究。
本研究旨在探讨GD出现的时间（早与晚）与寻求性别肯定（GA）的青少年心理困扰之间的关系，特别关注内化症状、情绪调节和身体投入。该研究还调查了在提出性别肯定请求前一年的SH可能如何影响这些因素。
在总共80名首次提出GA请求的青少年（平均年龄：14.88岁）中，参与者被分为两组：早发性GD（EP-GD；平均年龄：14.93岁）和晚发性GD（LP-GD；平均年龄：14.83岁）。在样本中，60%表现出SH。使用青少年自我报告（YSR）、情绪调节困难量表（DERS）和身体投入量表（BIS）对内化症状、情绪调节和身体投入进行评估。
结果显示，与EP-GD青少年相比，LP-GD青少年的情绪失调（ED）显著更高，特别是在DERS的策略领域（P = 0.040），并且在YSR中有更多的社会问题（P = 0.047）。SH与更高的内化症状相关，包括焦虑、退缩和躯体不适（P < 0.03），以及身体不满增加，特别是在BIS的关爱和保护维度（P = 0.044；P = 0.034）。
这些发现支持了以下假设，即LP-GD青少年和有SH病史的青少年表现出更明显的情绪调节困难和内化症状，进一步强调了针对GD和并发心理健康问题的早期干预项目的必要性。
