Among adolescents with gender dysphoria (GD) there appears to be an overrepresentation of the comorbid diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD), while both diagnoses occur in (less than) 1% of the...Show moreAmong adolescents with gender dysphoria (GD) there appears to be an overrepresentation of the comorbid diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD), while both diagnoses occur in (less than) 1% of the population (De Vries et al., 2010). The combination of ASD and GD is associated with low self-esteem, which can result in psychological problems (Balleur-van Rijn et al., 2012). To date, no intervention exists to increase the level of self-esteem of adolescents with ASD and GD (Myers et al., 2011). The current study focuses on the effect of a peer discussion group on the degree of self-esteem of adolescents with ASD and GD. This was examined in 33 adolescents with both ASD and GD (mean 17;7 years), consisting of 19 gender variant boys and 15 gender variant girls. To assess the degree of self-esteem, the Competentie Belevingsschaal voor Adolescenten (CBSA) was used. The CBSA is a self-report questionnaire that uses 35 items to measure various components of the self-concept. This questionnaire will be administered prior to and after the peer discussion group. The effect of the peer discussion group was measured using multiple repeated measures ANOVAs. The results show that the peer discussion group has no effect on the overall level of self-esteem, as the difference in self-esteem between the pre- and post-measurement was not significant (F(1, 32) = .08, p = .77). Looking closer into the results, the peer discussion group was found to have a negative effect on self-esteem concerning physical appearance (F(1, 32) = 8.73, p = .006) and a positive effect on self-esteem concerning behavioral attitudes (F(1, 32) = 11.14, p = .002). Thus, in its current form, the peer discussion group does not appear to be an appropriate intervention to increase all domains of self-esteem of adolescents with ASD and GD.Show less
