A Parent-report Gender Identity Questionnaire for Children: A Cross-national, Cross-clinic Comparative Analysis

Abstract

A one-factor, 14-item parent-report Gender Identity Questionnaire for Children (GIQC) was developed in a sample of 325 clinic-referred children with gender identity problems and 504 controls from Toronto, Canada (Johnson et al., 2004). In this study, we report a cross-national, cross-clinic comparative analysis of the GIQC on gender-referred children (N = 338) from Toronto and gender-referred children (N = 175) from Utrecht, The Netherlands. Across clinics, the results showed both similarities and differences. Gender-referred boys from Utrecht had a significantly higher total score (indicating more cross-gender behavior) than did gender-referred boys from Toronto, but there was no significant difference for girls. In the Toronto sample, the gender-referred girls had a significantly higher total score than the gender-referred boys, but there was no significant sex difference in the Utrecht sample. Across both clinics, gender-referred children who met the complete DSM criteria for gender identity disorder (GID) had a significantly higher cross-gender score than the gender-referred children who were subthreshold for GID (Cohen's d = 1.11). The results of this study provide the first empirical evidence of relative similarity in cross-gender behavior in a sample of gender-referred children from western Europe when compared to North American children. The results also provide some support for cross-clinic consistency in clinician-based diagnosis of GID.

The DSM Diagnostic Criteria for Gender Identity Disorder in Children

“…There was, however, clear evidence that the subthreshold group was ''gender nonconforming'' in that the effect size between their mean score and that of the controls was substantial (Cohen's d ranged from 1.44 to 3.28 when blocked by age groups [e.g., 3-5 years, 5-6 years, etc.]). In a sample of gender-referred children from Utrecht, Cohen-Kettenis et al (2006) also found that the threshold cases (n = 114) had a significantly more deviant score on the GIQC than did the subthreshold cases (n = 42).…”

“…There have been at least seven such studies in the DSM-IV era (Chiu et al, 2006;Cohen-Kettenis, Owen, Kaijser, Bradley, & Zucker, 2003;Cohen-Kettenis et al, 2006;Fridell, OwenAnderson, Johnson, Bradley, & Zucker, 2006;Johnson et al, 2004;Wallien, Veenstra, Kreukels, & Cohen-Kettenis, 2009;). In some of these studies, data on specificity and sensitivity have been examined.…”

The development of sex/gender-specific /s/ and its relationship to gender identity in children and adolescents

“…Gender identity was assessed using a 12-item Childhood Gender Identity Questionnaire (CGIQ; Johnson et al, 2004) that characterizes male-typical and female-typical behavior. CGIQ has been used previously when interviewing parents about their child's behavior (Johnson et al, 2004;Cohen-Kettenis et al, 2006) and has also been used to measure childhood-gendered behavior retrospectively from adulthood (Bartlett & Vasey, 1996;VanderLaan, Gothreau, Bartlett, & Vasey, 2011;VanderLaan, Petterson, & Vasey, 2015). In CGIQ, questions range from how the child prefers to play at home, the kind of games they play, and the toys they prefer, to whether they prefer male or female company.…”

Störungen der Sexualentwicklung und Identität im Kindes- und Jugendalter

“…Es existieren Fragebögen, die systematisch die genannten Punkte erfragen, insbesondere der von der holländischen Arbeitsgruppe entwickelte Utrechter "gender identity questionnaire" [1]. Für den deutschen Sprachraum entwickelt werden gegenwärtig ein Interessen-und ein Eigenschaftswahlverfahren für geschlechtsidentitätsgestörte Patienten, die regelmäßig bei den in der Frankfurter Universitätsklinik vorgestellten geschlechtsidentitätsgestörten Kindern und Jugendlichen verwandt werden.…”