For centuries, researchers and medical professionals have studied LGBTQ people to determine if there is a link between mental health and certain sexual orientations and gender identities. A social media post viewed by millions claims more than half of mothers of boys with "gender identity disorder" have borderline personality disorder or depression based off a pilot study published more than 30 years ago. This claim is missing context and misleading. The pilot study relies on flawed methodology, including a small sample size and author-conducted interviews. It also uses outdated terminology no longer used in the medical field.
In this the user posted a screenshot of the of a study published in 1991 comparing mothers of boys with gender identity disorder with mothers of "normal boys" to determine whether mental health and child-rearing practices could be identified.
The post said the study shows that 53 per cent of mothers of boys with gender identity disorder have borderline personality disorder or depression. It went on to say these mothers also had child-rearing attitudes and practices that encouraged symbiosis and discouraged the development of autonomy.
As of publication, the post had 10 million views, nearly 28,000 likes and roughly 6,000 retweets.
The study was also recently shared in a Reddit and it floated around on social media last year.
Rating: Misleading
The pilot study titled was published in 1991 in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, a peer-reviewed medical journal covering pediatric psychiatry.
Pilot studies are the first step in a larger research project. The studies are conducted on a smaller scale to determine whether the larger project is feasible. They can also help identify issues with methodology.
There are some downsides with pilot studies, said Mahmoud Torabi, an adjunct professor in the department of statistics at the University of Manitoba.
"It is hard to generalize the idea of the results to the general population," he said.
Pilot studies are often focusing on a narrow finding in the hopes of examining it further in a larger sample size, Torabi added.
Commonly, there will be a followup study that looks at the issue more comprehensively. It does not appear that the authors of the 1991 study completed a followup study.
The sample size used in the pilot study is considered too small to make a definitive conclusion, Torabi said.
The subjects were 16 mothers of boys with gender identity disorder and 17 mothers of boys who were dubbed "normal."
"From a statistical perspective, we would like to have a larger sample size to make sure that they are going to be a good representation of the population," Torabi said.
What is gender identity disorder?
While the term gender identity disorder was relevant at the time of the study, the label was eliminated from the in 2013 in favour of gender dysphoria to remove any stigma associated with the word disorder.
The manual describes as a "marked incongruence between one's experience/expressed gender and assigned gender."
There is no one causal factor in someone being diagnosed with gender dysphoria. Recent has suggested genetics, biology, social upbringing, wealth, access to education and diet may also contribute to this condition. It is also suggested more research on the condition is needed.
Other issues with methodology
The racial makeup of the group leans heavily toward Caucasian people at 50 per cent, while 44 per cent were Hispanic and six per cent were Black.
When it came to religious affiliations, 81 per cent were Christian and 19 per cent were Jewish.
Torabi said the makeup doesn't reflect the larger population.
"Bottom line, the issue (the study) is addressing is valid for that specific population," he said.
Another concern with the methodology, Torabi said, is the fact the interviews in the study were not conducted blindly and there were no clinical controls.
Author of tweet
The person who posted the tweet is U.S.-based author Ashley St. Clair. She is the author of the book "Elephants Are Not Birds," a Christian, conservative children's book that touches on the topic of gender identity.
The book tells readers that boys are not girls, and elephants are not birds, the for the book's publisher states.
describes itself as a faith-based publisher that honours God by "shaping a future generation of Americans who will fight for a nation defined by freedom, truth, humility, bravery and compassion."
Sources
Claims can be found on Twitter () and (), and on Reddit ()
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pilot study ()
Details about the definition of gender dysphoria can be found () and ()
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