Kristina Olson

Last updated
Kristina Olson
Alma materWashington University, Harvard University
Occupation(s)Professor, Princeton University
AwardsMacArthur Fellowship (2018), NSF Waterman Award (2018), APS Janet Taylor Spence Award (2016)

Kristina Reiss Olson is a psychologist and a professor at Princeton University. She is known for her research on the development of social categories, transgender youth, and variation in human gender development. Olson was recipient of the 2016 Janet Taylor Spence Award from the Association for Psychological Science for transformative early career contributions, [1] [2] and the 2014 SAGE Young Scholars Award. [3] Olson received the Alan T. Waterman Award from the National Science Foundation in 2018, [4] and was the first psychological scientist to receive this prestigious award honoring early-career scientists. [5] Olson is a member of the 2018 cohort of MacArthur fellows. [6]

Contents

Biography

Kristina Olson received her B.A. in Psychology and African and African-American Studies from Washington University in 2003. She completed her PhD from Harvard University in 2008, where she worked with Elizabeth Spelke, Mahzarin Banaji, and Carol S. Dweck. After graduating from Harvard, Olson joined the faculty of Yale University. In 2013, she subsequently moved to the Department of Psychology at the University of Washington where she directs the Social Cognitive Development Lab. Olson's research has been funded through the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the Arcus Foundation. In 2020, Olson joined Princeton University to lead the Human Diversity Lab as a professor in the department of Psychology.

TransYouth Project

Olson directs The TransYouth Project, which is the largest-to-date longitudinal research study of transgender children, with over 300 [7] children enrolled from across the United States and Canada. The children in the study group underwent social transition between the ages of 3 and 12, with an average of 6.5 years old. [8] The TransYouth Project "aims to help scientists, educators, parents, and children better understand the varieties of human gender development." [9] Recent findings from this project indicate that transgender children are not confused, delayed, pretending, or oppositional with regards to their gender identity. On tasks, such as the Implicit Association Test (IAT), which measure social knowledge, attitudes, and stereotypes about gender, transgender children respond similarly to "typical" cisgender children who match their gender identity (i.e., their expressed gender). [10] [11] Such findings suggest that the gender identity of transgender children is stable and deeply held.

In research examining mental health outcomes, Olson and colleagues have observed typical rates of depression and only marginally elevated rates of anxiety in transgender children when compared to control groups of children. [12] [13] Such findings contrast with reports of poor mental health outcomes among transgender adults, who frequently experience discrimination and marginalization. [14] In interviews, Olson has emphasized the importance of supportive parents and families in helping transgender youth feel accepted, safe, and secure, especially as they transition through adolescence to adulthood. [15] [16]

Representative publications

Related Research Articles

Gender dysphoria (GD) is the distress a person experiences due to a mismatch between their gender identity—their personal sense of their own gender—and their sex assigned at birth. The term replaced the previous diagnostic label of gender identity disorder (GID) in 2013 with the release of the diagnostic manual DSM-5. The condition was renamed to remove the stigma associated with the term disorder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transphobia</span> Anti-transgender prejudice

Transphobia consists of negative attitudes, feelings, or actions towards transgender people or transness in general. Transphobia can include fear, aversion, hatred, violence or anger towards people who do not conform to social gender roles. Transphobia is a type of prejudice and discrimination, similar to racism, sexism, or ableism, and it is closely associated with homophobia. Transgender people of color can experience many different forms of discrimination simultaneously.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homosexuality and psychology</span> Homosexuality as studied by the field of psychology

The field of psychology has extensively studied homosexuality as a human sexual orientation. The American Psychiatric Association listed homosexuality in the DSM-I in 1952, but that classification came under scrutiny in research funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. That research and subsequent studies consistently failed to produce any empirical or scientific basis for regarding homosexuality as anything other than a natural and normal sexual orientation that is a healthy and positive expression of human sexuality. As a result of this scientific research, the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from the DSM-II in 1973. Upon a thorough review of the scientific data, the American Psychological Association followed in 1975 and also called on all mental health professionals to take the lead in "removing the stigma of mental illness that has long been associated" with homosexuality. In 1993, the National Association of Social Workers adopted the same position as the American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association, in recognition of scientific evidence. The World Health Organization, which listed homosexuality in the ICD-9 in 1977, removed homosexuality from the ICD-10 which was endorsed by the 43rd World Health Assembly on 17 May 1990.

Cognitive development is a field of study in neuroscience and psychology focusing on a child's development in terms of information processing, conceptual resources, perceptual skill, language learning, and other aspects of the developed adult brain and cognitive psychology. Qualitative differences between how a child processes their waking experience and how an adult processes their waking experience are acknowledged. Cognitive development is defined as the emergence of the ability to consciously cognize, understand, and articulate their understanding in adult terms. Cognitive development is how a person perceives, thinks, and gains understanding of their world through the relations of genetic and learning factors. There are four stages to cognitive information development. They are, reasoning, intelligence, language, and memory. These stages start when the baby is about 18 months old, they play with toys, listen to their parents speak, they watch TV, anything that catches their attention helps build their cognitive development.

The gender binary is the classification of gender into two distinct forms of masculine and feminine, whether by social system, cultural belief, or both simultaneously. Most cultures use a gender binary, having two genders.

Gender variance or gender nonconformity is behavior or gender expression by an individual that does not match masculine or feminine gender norms. A gender-nonconforming person may be variant in their gender identity, being transgender or non-binary, or they may be cisgender. In the case of transgender people, they may be perceived, or perceive themselves as, gender-nonconforming before transitioning, but might not be perceived as such after transitioning. Transgender adults who appear gender-nonconforming after transition are more likely to experience discrimination.

Gender dysphoria in children (GD), also known as gender incongruence of childhood, is a formal diagnosis for children who experience significant discontent due to a mismatch between their assigned sex and gender identity. The diagnostic label gender identity disorder in children (GIDC) was used by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) until it was renamed gender dysphoria in children in 2013 with the release of the DSM-5. The diagnosis was renamed to remove the stigma associated with the term disorder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Questioning (sexuality and gender)</span> Process of self-exploration

The questioning of one's sexual orientation, sexual identity, gender, or all three is a process of exploration by people who may be unsure, still exploring, or concerned about applying a social label to themselves for various reasons. The letter "Q" is sometimes added to the end of the acronym LGBT ; the "Q" can refer to either queer or questioning.

Research has found that attempted suicide rates and suicidal ideation among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth are significantly higher than among the general population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transgender youth</span> Children and adolescents who are transgender

Transgender youth are children or adolescents who do not identify with the sex they were assigned at birth. Because transgender youth are usually dependent on their parents for care, shelter, financial support, and other needs, they differ in challenges compared to adults. According to the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, the American Psychological Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics, appropriate care for transgender youth may include supportive mental health care, social transition, and/or puberty blockers, which delay puberty and the development of secondary sex characteristics to allow children more time to explore their gender identity.

Minority stress describes high levels of stress faced by members of stigmatized minority groups. It may be caused by a number of factors, including poor social support and low socioeconomic status; well understood causes of minority stress are interpersonal prejudice and discrimination. Indeed, numerous scientific studies have shown that when minority individuals experience a high degree of prejudice, this can cause stress responses that accrue over time, eventually leading to poor mental and physical health. Minority stress theory summarizes these scientific studies to explain how difficult social situations lead to chronic stress and poor health among minority individuals.

Johanna Olson-Kennedy is an American physician who specializes in the care of children and teenagers with gender dysphoria and youth with HIV and chronic pain. She is board-certified in pediatrics and adolescent medicine and is the medical director of the Center for Transyouth Health and Development at Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

Puberty blockers are medicines used to postpone puberty in children. The most commonly used puberty blockers are gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists, which suppress the production of sex hormones, including testosterone and estrogen. In addition to their use in treating precocious puberty, which involves puberty occurring at an unusually early age in children, puberty blockers are also used for transgender children to delay the development of unwanted sex characteristics, so as to allow transgender youth more time to explore their gender identity.

Transgender hormone therapy, also called hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT), is a form of hormone therapy in which sex hormones and other hormonal medications are administered to transgender or gender nonconforming individuals for the purpose of more closely aligning their secondary sexual characteristics with their gender identity. This form of hormone therapy is given as one of two types, based on whether the goal of treatment is masculinization or feminization:

Transgender health care includes the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of physical and mental health conditions, as well as sex reassignment therapies, for transgender individuals. A major component of transgender health care is gender-affirming care, the medical aspect of gender transition. Questions implicated in transgender health care include gender variance, sex reassignment therapy, health risks, and access to healthcare for trans people in different countries around the world.

LGBT psychology is a field of psychology of surrounding the lives of LGBTQ+ individuals, in the particular the diverse range of psychological perspectives and experiences of these individuals. It covers different aspects such as identity development including the coming out process, parenting and family practices and support for LGBTQ+ individuals, as well as issues of prejudice and discrimination involving the LGBT community.

Due to the increased vulnerability that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth face compared to their non-LGBT peers, there are notable differences in the mental and physical health risks tied to the social interactions of LGBT youth compared to the social interactions of heterosexual youth. Youth of the LGBT community experience greater encounters with not only health risks, but also violence and bullying, due to their sexual orientation, self-identification, and lack of support from institutions in society.

Rapid-onset gender dysphoria (ROGD) is a controversial, scientifically unsupported hypothesis which claims that some adolescents identify as transgender and experience gender dysphoria due to peer influence and social contagion. ROGD is not recognized as a valid mental health diagnosis by any major professional association, which discourage its use due to a lack of reputable scientific evidence for the concept, major methodological issues in existing research, and its stigmatization of gender-affirming care for transgender youth. The paper initially proposing the concept was based on surveys of parents of transgender youth recruited from three anti-trans websites; following its publication, it was re-reviewed and a correction was issued highlighting that ROGD is not a clinically validated phenomenon. Since the paper's publication, the concept has frequently been cited in legislative attempts to restrict the rights of transgender youth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Turban</span> American psychiatrist

Jack L. Turban is an American psychiatrist and writer who researches LGBTQ health, with a focus on the mental health of transgender youth. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Vox. He is an assistant professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at The University of California San Francisco and affiliate faculty in health policy at The Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies.

Cisnormativity or cissexual assumption is the assumption that everyone is, or ought to be, cisgender. The term can further refer to a wider range of presumptions about gender assignment, such as the presumption of a gender binary, or expectations of conformity to gender roles even when transgender identities are otherwise acknowledged. Cisnormativity is a form of cisgenderism, an ideology which promotes various normative ideas about gender, to the invalidation of individuals' own gender identities, analogous to heterosexism or ableism.

References

  1. ↑ "Kristina Olson". Association for Psychological Science. Retrieved 2017-11-14.
  2. ↑ "APS Janet Taylor Spence Award for Transformative Early Career Contributions". APS Observer. 29 (5). 2016-04-29.
  3. ↑ "SAGE Young Scholars Awards". www.foundationpsp.org. Retrieved 2017-12-09.
  4. ↑ "Developmental psychologist receives 2018 Alan T. Waterman Award | NSF - National Science Foundation". nsf.gov. Retrieved 2018-04-13.
  5. ↑ "APS Fellow Kristina Olson Receives Nation's Top Honor for Early-Career Scientists". Association for Psychological Science. Retrieved 2018-04-13.
  6. ↑ Meet the Academics Who Nabbed This Year’s MacArthur ‘Genius’ Grants, Julian Wyllie, The Chronicle of Higher Education , October 4, 2018.
  7. ↑ "TransYouth Project & Gender Development".
  8. ↑ Ghorayshi, Azeen (4 May 2022). "Few Transgender Children Change Their Minds After 5 Years, Study Finds". The New York Times.
  9. ↑ "TransYouth Project | Changing Lives Through Science and Service". depts.washington.edu. Archived from the original on 2017-12-05. Retrieved 2017-11-29.
  10. ↑ Olson, Kristina R.; Key, Aidan C.; Eaton, Nicholas R. (2015-03-05). "Gender Cognition in Transgender Children". Psychological Science. 26 (4): 467–474. doi:10.1177/0956797614568156. PMID   25749700. S2CID   206587706.
  11. ↑ Fast, Anne A.; Olson, Kristina R. (2018). "Gender Development in Transgender Preschool Children". Child Development. 89 (2): 620–637. doi: 10.1111/cdev.12758 . ISSN   1467-8624. PMID   28439873.
  12. ↑ Durwood, Lily; McLaughlin, Katie A.; Olson, Kristina R. (2016). "Mental Health and Self-Worth in Socially Transitioned Transgender Youth". Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. 56 (2): 116–123.e2. doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2016.10.016. PMC   5302003 . PMID   28117057.
  13. ↑ Olson, Kristina R.; Durwood, Lily; DeMeules, Madeleine; McLaughlin, Katie A. (2016-03-01). "Mental Health of Transgender Children Who Are Supported in Their Identities". Pediatrics. 137 (3): e20153223. doi:10.1542/peds.2015-3223. ISSN   0031-4005. PMC   4771131 . PMID   26921285.
  14. ↑ Bockting, Walter O.; Miner, Michael H.; Swinburne Romine, Rebecca E.; Hamilton, Autumn; Coleman, Eli (2013-03-14). "Stigma, Mental Health, and Resilience in an Online Sample of the US Transgender Population". American Journal of Public Health. 103 (5): 943–951. doi:10.2105/ajph.2013.301241. ISSN   0090-0036. PMC   3698807 . PMID   23488522.
  15. ↑ ""Truly stunning" findings on transgender kids' mental health" . Retrieved 2017-11-29.
  16. ↑ "Probing The Complexities Of Transgender Mental Health". NPR.org. Retrieved 2017-11-29.
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