Psychiatry Investig.  2019 Jul;16(7):554-557. 10.30773/pi.2019.04.17.

A Preliminary Survey on Clinical Practice for Children and Adolescents with Gender Dysphoria in Japan: Current Situation and Challenges

• Tateno M
• Ueno C
• Park TW
• Nakayama H

• KMID: 2454725
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.30773/pi.2019.04.17

Abstract

Little is known about the treatment of gender dysphoria among children and adolescents in Japan. This preliminary survey aims to improve understanding of current clinical practice for treatment of children with gender dysphoria. Subjects were 315 certified child and adolescent psychiatrists in Japan. The questionnaire asked about clinical experiences concerning gender dysphoria and gender identity-related concerns. A total of 128 psychiatrists responded to the questionnaire. Mean length of clinical experience was 24.2±10.0 years in total and 16.9±11.5 years as child and adolescent psychiatry specialists. Among the respondents, 74 (57.8%) had seen children and adolescents with DSM-5 gender dysphoria, and 87 (67.7%) had examined cases with gender identity-related concerns. The mean number of experienced cases with gender dysphoria was 1.80±2.3 per respondent. We found that even among certified child and adolescent psychiatrists in Japan, experience with treatment of children with gender dysphoria was limited.

Keyword

Gender dysphoria; Gender identity disorder; Gender incongruence; Transgender; Sexual minority

MeSH Terms

Adolescent Psychiatry
Adolescent*
Child*
Gender Dysphoria*
Humans
Japan*
Psychiatry
Specialization
Surveys and Questionnaires
Transgender Persons