(PS7-A21) Examining the Relationship Between Emotion Dysregulation and Gender Identity Among Adolescents in Intensive Residential Treatment

Background:

Past research exploring gender differences in emotion regulation has shown mixed results. Some research has shown gender identity differences in emotion regulation (Nolen-Hoeksema & Aldao, 2011; Silveri et al., 2021; Yiğit & Guzey Yiğit, 2019), while other research has not shown gender differences in emotion regulation (Westerlund & Santtila, 2018). This study seeks to investigate gender differences in emotion dysregulation for adolescents in residential treatment. Specifically, this study explores the extent to which gender differences exist when controlling for variables that have demonstrated significant gender differences and have been linked to emotion dysregulation. 

Methods:

Participants were 195 adolescents at a residential dialectical behavior therapy treatment program. Self-identified gender identity was 36% cisgender female (n=70), 40% cisgender male (n=79) and 24% transgender and gender diverse (TGD; n=46). Measures of interpersonal competence (AICQ; Buhrmester, 1990), psychological distress (DASS; Henry & Crawford, 2005), interpersonal needs (INQ; Van Orden et al., 2012), and emotion dysregulation (DERS; Gratz & Roemer, 2004) were administered at admission. 

Results:

One-way ANOVA indicated that cisgender females (M=119.26, SD=24.23) and TGD individuals (M=121.67, SD=24.56) scored significantly higher on DERS compared to cisgender males (M=108.87, SD=23.99); [F(2, 192)=5.29; p < .01]. Hierarchical regression results indicated that the set of control variables (AICQ, INQ, and DASS) significantly predicted DERS scores R2=.47, F(3, 189)=54.73. After controlling for these variables, gender was added to the model. Gender explained an additional 1.2% of variance, which was not significant. Results indicated cisgender females score significantly higher than cisgender males (ꞵ=.12, p=.04).

Conclusions:

The finding that gender no longer predicted emotion dysregulation after accounting for the set of control variables suggests that it may be important for clinicians to consider psychological and social problems more than gender identity alone when treating emotion dysregulation. Previous studies have found that TGD individuals experience more emotion dysregulation than cisgender individuals (Silveri et al., 2021). However, present findings suggest the importance of considering other factors that may contribute to emotion dysregulation and how those variables may differ according to gender identity.