New research on the prevalence of rapid onset gender dysphoria (ROGD) among children has found that 75 percent of the cases involve girls who say they are being supported and even encouraged in this endeavor by their friends.

According to the Christian Post, the report was compiled from the results of a survey conducted by Parents of ROGD kids.com, a group that offers support for families with gender dysphoric children. More than 1700 parents responded to the survey and the data was analyzed by J. Michael Bailey of Northwestern University’s Department of Psychology and website creator Suzanna Diaz.

“The results of the survey measured the average age when children first experience gender dysphoria as 14.8 years old,” the Post reports. “The report details how, on average, girls began to develop gender dysphoria at 14.1 years, while boys were an average of 16 years old when they first began to experience discomfort with their sex.”

The survey found that females were more affected than males by this condition (75% vs. 25%). The overwhelming majority of affected children were of European descent (78.9%) with ethnically mixed youth at 16.2% and African American at 0.6%. Pre-existing mental health issues were common in those affected by gender dysphoria, as well as high intelligence.

The data also revealed that social transition was far more prevalent than medical transition. It also found evidence of “immersion” in both social media and peer groups with other transgender-identifying youth.

“The most common mental health issues experienced by females with gender dysphoria were anxiety (47.3%), depression (33.2%), difficulty socializing with peers (26.5%) and difficulty coping with stressful situations in general (23.2%),” the Post reports, with males experiencing similar numbers.

“Our children are young, naïve and impressionable, many of them are experiencing emotional or social difficulties,” states the Parents of ROGD kids on their website. “They are strongly influenced by their peers and by the media, who are promoting the transgender lifestyle as popular, desirable and the solution to all of their problems. And they are being misled by authority figures, such as teachers, doctors and counselors, who rush to ‘affirm’ their chosen gender without ever questioning why. We are skeptical of the current Standard of Care, the ‘Affirmative Approach’ which only seems to confirm and solidify our children’s misguided, externally-influenced sense of self.”

Parents of ROGD Kids offers resources such as tips for how to find the right therapist for a child who is questioning their gender, a guide to finding support groups for parents who are skeptical of gender transition, as well as suggestions on how to respond to popular trans-activist slogans.

Christian parents can also be helped by a new ebook by American Heritage Girls entitled, A Raising Godly Girls’ Guide to Gender and Identity. 

This guide provides parents with tools they can use to understand society’s attitude toward gender and apply biblical truth to highlight the beauty in the differences between men and women. It includes sections on preparing for a conversation about gender, when to call in a counselor, as well as a variety of resources.

“As Christians, we must engage in this debate,” says Patti Garibay, Founder and Executive Director of American Heritage Girls. “Scripture is clear: There is a difference between male and female, and it is worth celebrating! Scripture defines the true nature of a woman: relational, nurturing, vulnerable, with a love for beauty and a desire to respond. God-given femininity is a gift that, when freely accepted, will bless a woman throughout her life. Every girl can become a Christ-following servant leader who is honoring, anchored in Christ, and competent — a woman of integrity.”

As the recent report found, girls are high influenced by their peers which is why involving them in group activities that celebrate their femininity can be so crucial. The Young Women of Grace: Embrace Your Femininity program was created for exactly this purpose. Geared toward girls ages 13 and older, it uses a group setting to teach them what it means to be a daughter of God, how to discern purpose and mission in the world, and to find true fulfillment in life … and to do so as the woman they were created to be.

Research shows that more and more teens are being encouraged to question their gender identity by the media and their peers. It’s up to us to help them resist this dangerous trend.

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