Scientists Address Borderline Personality Disorder in Mothers of Transgender Boys

Fox News Reported that on social media, a resurrected 1991 study that looks at female mothers of males and their views on gender has been getting a lot of attention, with commentators and influencers from both sides offering their opinions.  

Dr. Sonia Marantz and Dr. Susan Coates’ paper, “Mothers of Males with a Gender Identity Disorder: A Comparison of Matched Controls,” was released in the Journal of  American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. In this pilot study, moms of boys with gender identity disorder (GID) were compared to mothers of boys without GID to see if there were any variations in psychopathology and attitudes and behaviours related to raising children.

According to the findings of the Diagnostic Interview for Borderlines and the Beck Depression Inventory, moms of boys with GID were more likely than controls to exhibit signs of depression and frequently meet the criteria for borderline personality disorder. Compared to only 6% of controls, 53% of mothers of boys with GID reported signs of depression or were diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, according to the Diagnostic Interview for Borderlines. 

The women spoke with 17 moms of boys without gender dysphoria (GID) and 16 mothers of boys with GID, a person whose gender identity does not correspond to their assigned sex. According to the study’s findings, 53% of moms of sons with GID met the criteria for borderline personality disorder. Two psychiatrists recently provided their perspectives about the likelihood of repeating the study in the current acceptance, activism, and social media-saturating environment. 

Since fundamental human behavior motivators may stay thematically similar over time, when this 1991 research was carried out today, the findings would be comparable or even more pronounced. However, social pressures for having a non-cis-gendered child are more significant now than thirty years ago, according to the author and practicing psychologist Dr. Nina Silander, who spoke with Fox News Digital. However, a more recent study would need to consider this one’s shortcomings, particularly its lack of clinical controls, removal of dads from the sample, and disregard for gender dysphoria in daughters and the mother-child bond. Dr. Robert D. Mather claims that a similar study carried out now would probably have a “weaker” impact. 

Due to the instances resulting from numerous distinct socially produced sources, the impacts would be much smaller if the study were repeated today, according to Mather, a journalist, and contributor for Psychology Today, who spoke to Fox News Digital. Due to additional statistical noise, it would be challenging to discern any effects of the mother’s psychological involvement.  

If the symbiotic theory put out by Morantz and Coates is accurate, the effect could be amplified in a study replicated in the current environment. Since it has been revealed that transgenderism is sometimes promoted in schools and through sports, worries about it have risen. Several transgender activists displayed their breasts and surgery scars while children attended a recent Pride celebration at the White House. Parents filming their children’s gender-conversion operations have become a cottage industry on social media, drawing charges of profiteering from or promoting the process. 

The [research] is interesting because it looks at gender independent of the present cultural and political context, according to Mathers. The Morantz and Coates study is advantageous since it addresses the problem before the present cultural boom of changing gender standards. It has a very tiny sample size but given how uncommon gender identity disorder was at the time, that is to be expected. 

Silander stated that although being a member of a sexual minority identity today may have an influence, psychologically unstable parents may be more receptive to the idea. “Having a sexual minority identification seems to be a status symbol or a form of social currency. Psychologically unwell parents may be more likely than psychologically healthy parents to pursue this gender minority status without considering other elements that contribute to gender dysphoria or the transience or superficiality of gender-nonconforming habits or preferences, according to Silander. 

The following factors play a role in this. 1) psychologically unwell Parents may also be more likely to project their own psychological needs onto their kids; 2) A dominant strain of modern feminism instills negative attitudes towards masculinity, leading many feminist mothers (and fathers) to feel uncomfortable when their sons exhibit stereotypically masculine traits and behaviors. 

Fox News Digital tried to get in touch with Drs. Susan Coates, Sonia Marantz, The Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, and The Human Rights Campaign did not respond.