3.112 Age of Realization of Gender Identity and Mental Health Outcomes Among Transgender and Gender-Diverse Adults: Evaluating The “Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria” Hypothesis

Abstract

The rapid-onset gender dysphoria (ROGD) hypothesis theorizes a distinct form of gender dysphoria in which individuals with no history of childhood gender dysphoria come to understand themselves as transgender and/or gender-diverse (TGD) in adolescence as a result of underlying mental illness, or as a “maladaptive coping mechanism.” This study evaluated the key components of the ROGD hypothesis by: 1) estimating the prevalence of realizing one’s TGD identity after childhood; and 2) determining whether this later realization is associated with poor mental health in adulthood.