The roles of sex and gender in child and adolescent mental health

• Published in: JCPP advances Vol. 2; no. 1; pp. e12059 - n/a
• Main Authors: Martin, Joanna, Hadwin, Julie A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.03.2022; John Wiley and Sons Inc; Wiley
• Subjects: Adverse childhood experiences; Anxiety; Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; Autism; Child development; Children & youth; Cognitive development; Comorbidity; Emotional disorders; Families & family life; Females; gender; Gender differences; Gender identity; Males; Mental disorders; Mental health; Mood disorders; Mutation; neurodevelopment; Neurodevelopmental disorders; Parents & parenting; Psychopathology; Risk factors; sex; Sex chromosomes; Socialization; Special Section on Sex and Gender Differences in Neurodevelopmental and Psychiatric Phenotypes; Twins; gender; neurodevelopment; mental health; sex
• ISSN: 2692-9384; 2692-9384
• DOI: 10.1002/jcv2.12059

Neurodevelopmental and mental health disorders are common in children and young people, and frequently continue to be impairing into adulthood. Biological sex and gender identity are important factors in the likelihood of the development, referral and diagnosis of these disorders, as well as sources of clinical heterogeneity. In this editorial, we highlight that the aetiology of neurodevelopmental and mental health disorders in young people is complex and multi‐faceted. Emerging evidence has implicated sex and gender as playing an important role in understanding the onset and course of psychopathology in childhood and adolescence. Here, we underline the significance of continuing to actively study the roles of sex and gender in the context of outlining potential future research directions and understanding how best to support children and young people.