Home Medicine Through the eyes of the parents: a transdiagnostic psychiatric perspective for children with differences of sexual development
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Through the eyes of the parents: a transdiagnostic psychiatric perspective for children with differences of sexual development

  • Burcu Ozbaran ORCID logo , Birsen Senturk-Pilan ORCID logo , Oyku Yavuz-Kan ORCID logo EMAIL logo , Begum Yulug-Tas ORCID logo , Ipek Inal-Kaleli ORCID logo , Eren Er ORCID logo , Samim Ozen ORCID logo , Damla Goksen ORCID logo and Sukran Darcan ORCID logo
Published/Copyright: October 10, 2024
Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism
From the journal Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism Volume 37 Issue 12

Abstract

Objectives

Existing literature lacks data on a subgroup exhibiting psychiatric symptoms below the DSM-5 diagnostic threshold within differences of sexual development (DSD) cases. Our study aims to assess parental knowledge, attitudes toward DSD, and parental perceptions of emotional and behavioral states through a transdiagnostic perspective.

Methods

The study was conducted with a total of 35 parents of children with DSD. Two groups were established via k-means clustering, based on psychiatric symptomatology levels, derived from The Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire – Parent Form and The Revised Children’s Anxiety and Depression Scale – Parent Form: with one group exhibiting lower reported psychiatric symptoms (LPS=27) and the other demonstrating higher psychiatric symptoms (HPS=8) by parents.

Results

Our study found that many parents were hesitant to disclose DSD diagnoses to their children, believing them to be too young to comprehend the information (42.9 %) and that they were unaware of the available support that could be provided by the medical team in disclosing the diagnosis (25.7 %). Our study found no differences in DSM-5 diagnoses between HPS and LPS groups (p>0.05), with ADHD being the most prevalent diagnosis (21.7 %) and a significant overrepresentation of children with a discrepancy between assigned gender at birth and gender upbringing in the HPS group compared to the LPS group (p<0.001).

Conclusions

Our study emphasizes the necessity of a transdiagnostic approach in psychiatry to move beyond binary conceptualizations and better understand the complexities of individuals with DSD.

Keywords: differences of sexual development; transdiagnostic; psychiatry; psychiatric symptoms; parent perspectives
Corresponding author: Oyku Yavuz-Kan, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Izmir Bayrakli City Hospital, University of Health Sciences, 2148/11. Sk No:1/11, 35540, Izmir, Türkiye, E-mail:
Burcu Ozbaran and Birsen Senturk-Pilan have contributed equally to this work and co-first authors.

  1. Research ethics: The presented study was conducted per the ethical standards laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the Ege University Faculty of Medicine Ethics Committee of Clinical Research (No:21-6.IT/45).

  2. Informed consent: Informed consent was obtained from all individuals included in this study.

  3. Author contributions: All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.

  4. Use of Large Language Models, AI and Machine Learning Tools: None declared.

  5. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

  6. Research funding: The authors declare that the work reported in this manuscript was undertaken with their financial resources, and they did not receive any financial help from any individual, group, or agency.

  7. Data availability: Not applicable.

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Supplementary Material

This article contains supplementary material (https://doi.org/10.1515/jpem-2024-0338).

Received: 2024-07-14
Accepted: 2024-09-22
Published Online: 2024-10-10
Published in Print: 2024-12-17

© 2024 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Review
  3. Effect and safety of aromatase inhibitors for the treatment of short stature in male children and adolescents: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
  4. Original Articles
  5. Do hybrid closed loop insulin pump systems improve glycemic control and reduce hospitalizations in poorly controlled type 1 diabetes?
  6. Long-term effectiveness and safety of long-acting growth hormone preparation in children with growth hormone deficiency
  7. Gonadal changes in children and adolescents with congenital adrenal hyperplasia
  8. Hsa_circ_0002473 inhibits GH3 cell proliferation and GH secretion as a competitive endogenous RNA for has-miR-4645-3p
  9. Through the eyes of the parents: a transdiagnostic psychiatric perspective for children with differences of sexual development
  10. Experiences and psychological issues affecting parents of children born with atypical genitalia in India
  11. Case Reports
  12. A rare case of central precocious puberty in a male infant with adrenal hypoplasia congenita
  13. Gly183Ser homozygous mutation of the steroid 5-a reductase type 2 (SRD5A2) gene in a Brazilian patient: case report
  14. Novel PIK3R1 gene mutation associated with SHORT syndrome: a case report of a 15-year-old female
  15. Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist monotherapy in pediatric non-classical 11β-hydroxylase deficiency
  16. A rare case of skeletal dysplasia: biallelic variant in ACAN gene
  17. Letter to the Editor
  18. Another look at the necessity of polysomnography for infants with Prader-Willi syndrome prior to initiation of growth hormone therapy
  19. Annual Reviewer Acknowledgment
  20. Reviewer Acknowledgment
https://doi.org/10.1515/jpem-2024-0338
Keywords for this article
differences of sexual development; transdiagnostic; psychiatry; psychiatric symptoms; parent perspectives

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Review
  3. Effect and safety of aromatase inhibitors for the treatment of short stature in male children and adolescents: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
  4. Original Articles
  5. Do hybrid closed loop insulin pump systems improve glycemic control and reduce hospitalizations in poorly controlled type 1 diabetes?
  6. Long-term effectiveness and safety of long-acting growth hormone preparation in children with growth hormone deficiency
  7. Gonadal changes in children and adolescents with congenital adrenal hyperplasia
  8. Hsa_circ_0002473 inhibits GH3 cell proliferation and GH secretion as a competitive endogenous RNA for has-miR-4645-3p
  9. Through the eyes of the parents: a transdiagnostic psychiatric perspective for children with differences of sexual development
  10. Experiences and psychological issues affecting parents of children born with atypical genitalia in India
  11. Case Reports
  12. A rare case of central precocious puberty in a male infant with adrenal hypoplasia congenita
  13. Gly183Ser homozygous mutation of the steroid 5-a reductase type 2 (SRD5A2) gene in a Brazilian patient: case report
  14. Novel PIK3R1 gene mutation associated with SHORT syndrome: a case report of a 15-year-old female
  15. Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist monotherapy in pediatric non-classical 11β-hydroxylase deficiency
  16. A rare case of skeletal dysplasia: biallelic variant in ACAN gene
  17. Letter to the Editor
  18. Another look at the necessity of polysomnography for infants with Prader-Willi syndrome prior to initiation of growth hormone therapy
  19. Annual Reviewer Acknowledgment
  20. Reviewer Acknowledgment
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