Psychological Functioning in Non-binary Identifying Adolescents and Adults.

Gender diverse individuals who do not conform to society's binary gender expectations are more likely to experience difficulties in acceptance and in recognition of gender, compared to binary-identifying transgender people. This may accentuate the feeling that their gender identity is not socially recognized or validated. This study aimed to investigate psychological functioning among gender diverse adolescents and adults who identify beyond the binary gender spectrum. In both study populations, 589 clinically-referred gender diverse adolescents from the UK (n = 438 birth-assigned females and n = 151 birth-assigned males), and 632 clinically-referred gender diverse adults from the Netherlands (n = 278 birth-assigned females and n = 354birth-assigned males), we found that a higher degree of psychological problems was predicted by identifying more strongly with a non-binary identity. For adolescents, more psychological problems were related to having a non-binary gender identity and being assigned female at birth. In the adult population, experiencing psychological difficulties was also significantly related to having a stronger non-binary identity and having a younger age. Clinicians working with gender diverse people should be aware that applicants for physical interventions might have a broader range of gender identities than a binary transgender one, and that people with a non-binary gender identity may, for various reasons, be particularly vulnerable to psychological difficulties.

Cutting Ties With Pro-Ana: A Narrative Inquiry Concerning the Experiences of Pro-Ana Disengagement From Six Former Site Users.

Websites advocating the benefits of eating disorders ("Pro-Ana") tend to reinforce and maintain restrictive eating and purging behaviors. Yet remarkably, no study has explored individual accounts of disengagement from these sites and the associated meanings. Using narrative inquiry, this study sought to address this gap. From the interviews of six women, two overarching storylines emerged. The first closely tied disengagement to recovery with varying positions of personal agency claimed: this ranged from enforced and unwelcomed breaks that ignited change, to a personal choice that became viable through the development of alternative social and personal identities. A strong counternarrative to "disengagement as recovery" also emerged. Here, disengagement from Pro-Ana was storied alongside a need to retain an ED lifestyle. With "recovery" being just one reason for withdrawal from Pro-Ana sites, clinicians must remain curious about the meanings individuals ascribe to this act, without assuming it represents a step toward recovery.

Gender diversity and non-binary presentations in young people attending the United Kingdom's National Gender Identity Development Service.

There has been a recent rise in the number of people who hold a non-binary gender identity. However, the proportion of young people attending gender services who identify as non-binary has not yet been investigated. This article presents the findings from a pilot study of newly designed questionnaire, the Gender Diversity Questionnaire, which included questions about gender identity and gender expression. Responses from 251 adolescents attending the United Kingdom's National Gender Identity Development Service between June 2016 and February 2017 are reported here. The majority, 56.9%, of young people identified as trans, 29.3% identified as a binary gender (male or female), 11% identified as non-binary and 1.2% as agender. There were no significant differences in self-defined identities based on assigned gender or age. However, once young people were separated into these groups, some of them were very small; thus, a larger sample is required. In terms of aspects of gender expression that were important to the young people, the data formed five themes - name and pronouns, external appearance, the body, intrinsic factors and 'other'. Strengths and weaknesses of the research are discussed as well as future work that will be conducted.