Adequate Training and Multidisciplinary Support May Assist Pediatricians in Properly Handling and Managing Gender Incongruence and Dysphoria

Abstract

What we call “sexual identity” refers to the complex relationship between biological sex, gender identity and role, and sexual orientation.1 “Gender identity” means the unified and persistent perception of oneself as belonging to the male or the female gender or ambivalent. For many, gender identity coincides with sexual identity; traditional culture has long provided for the definition of only 2 genders, corresponding to the 2 biological sexes. The person with gender incongruence experiences a disharmony between biological aspects and gender identity, with the constant awareness that he or she belongs to the opposite gender and is imprisoned in a body that does not represent him or her. General pediatricians and practitioners are frequently the first formal contact for gender-nonconforming children and their families seeking support and guidance on how to address their children's emotions and needs.2 However, health professionals may not always be adequately prepared. This commentary, prepared by the working group of Social Pediatrics of the European Pediatric Association, Union of National Pediatric Societies and Associations, aims to raise awareness of the increasing number of children and adolescents presenting gender incongruence3 and to emphasize the importance for pediatricians to be adequately trained to properly address this challenge in conjunction with local multidisciplinary teams of specialists.