Few studies have examined associations between gender non-conformity (GNC) in childhood or adolescence and mental health outcomes later in life. This study examined associations between (1) GNC and mental health over multiple time points in childhood and adolescence, and (2) GNC in childhood and/or adolescence and mental health in adulthood.

Second generation participants from the Raine Study, a longitudinal cohort from Perth, Western Australia. Data were collected between 1995 and 2018, comprising seven waves: ages 5 (N = 2236), 8 (N = 2140), 10 (N = 2048), 14 (N = 1864), 17 (N = 1726), 22 (N = 1236) and 27 (N = 1190) years. History of GNC, v. absence of this history, was based on responses to item 110 from the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL)/Youth Self Report (YSR) (‘wishes to be of opposite sex’). The CBCL/YSR were used to measure internalising and externalising symptoms. Items 18 (‘deliberate self-harm [DSH] or attempts suicide’) and 91 (‘talks/thinks about killing self’) were used as measures of suicidal ideation (SI) and DSH. For adults, Depression, Anxiety and Stress Subscales and Kessler Psychological Distress Scale assessed mental health.

Child and adolescent GNC was associated with elevated internalising and externalising behaviours and increased odds of DSH. A history of GNC was also associated with vulnerability for severe psychological distress in adulthood in some symptom scales.

GNC over the child and adolescent period is associated with significant emotional and behavioural difficulties, and psychological distress. A history of GNC in childhood and/or adolescence also predicts poorer mental health in adulthood on multiple symptom domains.

To investigate the association between energy drink (ED) use and sleep-related disturbances in a population-based sample of young adults from the Raine Study.

Analysis of cross-sectional data obtained from self-administered questionnaires to assess ED use and sleep disturbance (Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire (FOSQ-10) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Symptoms Questionnaire–Insomnia (PSSQ-I)). Regression modelling was used to estimate the effect of ED use on sleep disturbances. All models adjusted for various potential confounders.

Western Australia.

Males and females, aged 22 years, from Raine Study Gen2–22 year follow-up.

Of the 1115 participants, 66 % were never/rare users (i.e. <once/month) of ED, 17·0 % were occasional users (i.e. >once/month to <once/week) and 17 % were frequent users (≥once/week). Compared with females, a greater proportion of males used ED occasionally (19 % v. 15 %) or frequently (24 % v. 11 %). Among females, frequent ED users experienced significantly higher symptoms of daytime sleepiness (FOSQ-10: β = 0·93, 95 % CI 0·32, 1·54, P = 0·003) and were five times more likely to experience insomnia (PSSQ-I: OR = 5·10, 95 % CI 1·81, 14·35, P = 0·002) compared with never/rare users. No significant associations were observed in males for any sleep outcomes.

We found a positive association between ED use and sleep disturbances in young adult females. Given the importance of sleep for overall health, and ever-increasing ED use, intervention strategies are needed to curb ED use in young adults, particularly females. Further research is needed to determine causation and elucidate reasons for gender-specific findings.