Gender Dysphoria Flashcards
Gender Dysphoria
Discomfort with one’s biological sex or assigned gender
- Most widely recognized manifestation is transsexualism.
Transexuals
- adults whom experience gender dysphoria and their biological gender feels foreign and they try to reverse it.
- Adults can have hormonal and surgical tx to be recognized as members of the opposite sex
Gender dysphoria in children
3% of boys and 2% of girls experience gender dysphoria
Gender dysphoria in boys
- Parents of boys with gender dysphoria are creative/artistic/ and enjoy theatrical performance
- the boy will begin by the age of 3 to assimilate a female gender ( wear skirts…play with girls more often)
- Less physically active
- Study that shown that boys with gender dysphoria tend to be more “beautiful” or “more attractive” → does physical attraction cause parents to implement different practices that maybe …lead to gender identification?
- Boys are teased in early school years.
- cross dressing is suppressed during school years (how can boys go to school with a dress?)
Gender dysphoria in Girls
- Girls with gender dysphoria tend to have boyish haircuts
- introduce themselves to strangers with a boy name
- Crave acceptance from boys
- As early as 2 years old they may show preference towards toys. (boys try on mother’s clothes…..etc)
- Cross dressing is suppressed during school years (although seems like girls wouldnt have too much issues with this)
Clinician judgment in the diagnosis of gender identity disorder in children- Ehrbar et al (2008)
- Clinical judgment methodology used to explore influence of gender nonconformity and gender dysphoria on the Dx of children with Gender Identity Disorder (GID)
- 73 clinical psychologists – received a random vignette (of 6), each of which varied across sex, gender conforming behavior, and gender dysphoria
- 8% of those with vignette with a child meeting behavioral criteria for GID, Dx the child with GID
o When more info given, such as reports of cross-gender identity, this increased to 27%
Profound underDx of GID
-some clinicians appear to lack awareness of gender dysphoria or GID as a Dx- Many appear uncomfortable or opposed to the formulation of the Dx
80-85% of children with gender dysphoria….
go on to resolve their issues once they understand their sexual orientation.
the rest appear to go on to have gender dysphoria into adulthood.
*questionable study
Adulthood gender dysphorics: Homosexual males with GD
o Exclusively attracted to men
o Noticeably feminine as children, thus, would have met dx criteria as children for GD
o Extremely feminine
o Rarely report cross-dressing
Adulthood gender dysphorics: Non-Homosexual males with GD (heterosexual males)
o Most seen by clinicians in U.S. and many western countries
o May describe selves as sexually attracted to women, women and men, or to neither
o Primary attraction to females
o Most cases, autogynephilia
o History of arousal with cross-dressing
o reports of gender confusion during adolescent/adult life
o Not noticeably feminine as children
o Many of these people are married and have a heterosexual relationship
o gender waxes/wanes –> gender dysphoria fluctuates…so they can get the reassignment surgery only to regret it afterwards.
Adulthood gender dysphorics: Homosexual Females with GD
o Exclusively attracted to women
o Noticeably masculine during childhood, would have met dx criteria as kids
o Sexual attitudes: More sexual than emotional jealousy, more sexual partners
Adulthood gender dysphorics: Non-homosexual Females with GD (heterosexual females)
o Sexually attracted to men and women
o May have been girls with neutral interests or ‘tomboy’ features
o Less noticeably masculine during childhood
o More likely to have comorbid psychopathology
o Arousal to cross-dressing not significant factor
Transition from female to male
- usually have better transition because female to male is easier to pass; its harder to tell
- also less social condemnation
Transition from Male to female
- usually have a difficult transition because its harder to pass as a female with masculine features
- they may become more promiscuous to feel that they are validating their femininity engaging in sex and fitting in
Causes of Gender Dysphoria
- lack of information on genetic predisposition
- Neuroimaging found smaller hypothalamus in transexuals compared to hetero (does this mean anything?)
- parenting practice & expectations
- do children try to appease their parents?
- whats the difference between tolerating vs encouraging a gender?
- the more exotic the more erotic
- the opposite gender is more appealing, which is why boys like girls and girls like boys.
**importance to rule out delusions or other psychiatric issues that may lead to gender confusion
Should we be providing tx for children with Gender Dysphoria?
- isnt this saying that there are only 2 genders?
- is this hindering their expression?
