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Steensma 2013 — desistance in children

In Amsterdam, Steensma and colleagues followed a cohort of children with gender dysphoria and in 2013 published their findings in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry on factors predicting whether dysphoria persists (persistence) or disappears (desistance) between childhood and adolescence.

Research

In Amsterdam, Steensma and colleagues followed a cohort of children with gender dysphoria and in 2013 published their findings in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry on factors predicting whether dysphoria persists (persistence) or disappears (desistance) between childhood and adolescence.

Main findings

In the majority of the children studied, dysphoria disappeared around the onset of puberty. Factors associated with persistence included: intensity of dysphoria, social transition in childhood, age at first presentation and cognitive and affective cross-gender identification.

Significance for policy

The study is frequently cited in policy discussions on youth gender care, including in the Cass Review. It points to the importance of carefully differentiating which children would benefit from medical intervention.