The Prevalence of Only-Child Status Among Children and Adolescents Referred to a Gender Identity Service Versus a Clinical Comparison Group

• Published in: Journal of sex & marital therapy Vol. 43; no. 6; pp. 586 - 593
• Main Authors: Hughes, S. Kathleen, VanderLaan, Doug P., Blanchard, Ray, Wood, Hayley, Wasserman, Lori, Zucker, Kenneth J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Routledge 18.08.2017; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Adolescent; Birth Order; Body Image; Children & youth; Female; Gays & lesbians; Gender Identity; Homosexuality, Female - psychology; Homosexuality, Female - statistics & numerical data; Homosexuality, Male - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Male; Only Child - statistics & numerical data; Psychosexual Development; Siblings; Transsexualism - epidemiology; Transsexualism - psychology; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0092-623X; 1521-0715
• DOI: 10.1080/0092623X.2016.1208702

Several studies indicate that homosexual males have a high proportion of older brothers compared to heterosexual males. Natal males with gender dysphoria who are likely to be homosexual also display this sibship pattern. Until recently, there was little evidence linking homosexuality and/or gender dysphoria in females to unique sibship characteristics. Two studies have indicated that natal female youth clinically referred for gender dysphoria are more likely to be only children (Schagen, Delemarre-van de Waal, Blanchard, & Cohen-Kettenis, 2012; VanderLaan, Blanchard, Wood, & Zucker, 2014). However, these studies did not include control groups of youth clinically referred for other reasons. Thus, it is unclear whether the increased likelihood of only-child status is specific to gender-referred natal females. This study compared only-child status among youth referred to a mental health service for gender dysphoria (778 males, 245 females) versus other reasons (783 males, 281 females). Prehomosexual gender-referred males were less likely to be only children than clinical controls. Contrary to previous findings, gender-referred females were not more likely to be only children, indicating that increased likelihood of only-child status is not specific to gender-referred females, but is characteristic of clinic-referred females more generally.