Gender nonconformity in 7-year-olds -; as measured by levels of gender-conforming play -; may be associated with autistic traits and behavioral difficulties in girls, and with peer relationship problems in boys, according to a new study published August 28, 2024 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Marlene Stratmann of Karlstad University, Sweden, and colleagues. Gender nonconformity (GNC) refers to variations in gender expression from societal and cultural gender norms. In childhood, GNC can manifest itself in several ways, including play behavior, peer relationships, clothing, and body language.
Childhood GNC does not directly indicate developing gender dysphoria (GD) later in life, although the phenomena are linked. Recently, studies have begun to establish a high co-occurrence of GNC, GD and autism spectrum disorder. However, most of this work has been carried out in clinical populations with existing diagnoses, which may lead to an overestimation of the associations between GNC and autistic traits and behavioral difficulties in a non-clinical population.
In the new study, researchers analyzed data on 718 children enrolled in the Swedish Environmental Longitudinal, Mother and Child, Asthma and Allergy (SELMA) study for which there were data on play behavior and behavioral outcomes. GNC play behavior was determined using the Preschool Activities Inventory, which includes 12 "feminine" and 12 "masculine" toys, play activities and child characteristics. In both sexes, high.