Methodological Critique of Littman’s (2018) Parental-Respondents Accounts of “Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria”

Littman’s ( 2018 ) descriptive paper reports on parents’ observations (i.e., parental-respondents accounts) of adolescent and young adults with “rapid-onset gender dysphoria” (ROGD), an allegedly new type of gender dysphoria that is not listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) (American Psychiatric Association, 2013 ). Using an online quantitative and qualitative survey that sampled parents who frequented three distinct Web sites, the research aims were to: (1) describe the presentation of “ROGD” (defined as the presentations of transgender (trans)-identified adolescents and young adults who did not appear to meet clinical criteria for gender dysphoria during childhood, yet suddenly exhibit gender dysphoria during or after puberty by disclosing their trans identities to their parents) and (2) generate hypotheses based on the premise that “social and peer contagion” is a key determinant of “ROGD.”