Social violence among Thai gender role conforming and non-conforming secondary school students: Types, prevalence and correlates

Abstract

Background Gender role non-conforming behaviors are a significant risk factor for school-related violence. The objective of this study is to describe the types, prevalence and correlates of social violence among Thai secondary school students, with a focus on gender role nonconformity. Methods This article uses secondary data from a national study of 2070 secondary school students aged 13-20 years representing Bangkok and all four regions of Thailand. Students were asked about their gender/sexual identity, self-perception of their masculinity or femininity, and experiences of social violence. Correlates of social violence were examined using multivariable logistic regression models. Results Prevalence of social violence victimization was high (57%). Most students considered themselves to be as masculine or as feminine as other members of their sex (82.6%), while 9.1% thought that they were less masculine/less feminine, and 8.3% thought they were more masculine/more feminine. Students who considered themselves less masculine or less feminine than others of their sex (AOR = 1.59, 95% CI: 1.13, 2.25) were more likely to experience social violence, compared to students who considered themselves equally masculine/ feminine. Students who self-identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) (AOR = 1.37, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.86) were also more likely to experience social violence, compared to students who did not identify as LGBT. However, students who considered PLOS ONE |

A scoping review of survey research with gender minority adolescents and youth in low and middle-income countries

“…Two of these studies focused exclusively on transgender populations while the other two drew on the same survey data of students in Thailand. In this survey, male respondents were asked to rate themselves in terms of “manliness” and female respondents in terms of “womanliness” compared to their peers [ 47 , 48 ]. The two papers also represented a trend amongst papers drawing on the same data both to present somewhat different details about the survey design as well as to use the data differently.…”

Transphobic Violence in Educational Centers: Risk Factors and Consequences in the Victims’ Wellbeing and Health

“…At the same time, all the agents involved become perpetrators of the violence, and their roles need to be accounted for to understand and develop strategies to detect and intervene in cases of transphobic violence [51,52,57,58,61]. Additionally, the literature also remarks on the possible effects that sociocultural factors of victims and perpetrators may have on transphobic violence [37,[51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59]66]. What these findings demonstrate is the intricacy of the reality of TNBAY, the severe consequences of transphobic violence (because of the number of people involved in the violence), and the ramifications given by the sociocultural factors that can configure these repercussions.…”

“…Findings point to a range of factors that can influence transphobic violence, as well as its intensity and consequences due to sociocultural factors [37,[51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59]. This subsection is divided into two given the pertinence of these factors: internal factors, such as felt gender identity, sexuality, and self-perception, and external factors, such as circumstances and judgments.…”

“…Following Alessi, Kahn, and Chatterji's results [51], manifesting behaviors, dressing, or recreational activities socially assigned to another gender than that assigned at birth can contribute to suffering more violence. Additionally, gender expressions perceived as less masculine or feminine, which differ from the one assigned at birth, can also be more likely associated with experiencing violence [55]. Beyond gender identity, being categorized or perceived as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender is also a risk factor as it may present more odds of experiencing at least one form of transphobic violence [51,55].…”

“…Additionally, gender expressions perceived as less masculine or feminine, which differ from the one assigned at birth, can also be more likely associated with experiencing violence [55]. Beyond gender identity, being categorized or perceived as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender is also a risk factor as it may present more odds of experiencing at least one form of transphobic violence [51,55]. Additionally, migration and asylum-seeking circumstances might be strong factors for victims suffering more distress when exposed to transphobic violence [51].…”