Associations of acoustic parameters and gender dysphoria in transmasculine individuals

Abstract

Gender dysphoria refers to a feeling of discomfort due to a mismatch between a person’s biological sex and gender identity. Voice is a secondary sex marker, and it may contribute to feelings of unease or dissatisfaction if the voice does not match a person’s gender identity. The Utrecht Gender Dysphoria Scale—Gender Spectrum (UGDS-GS) was designed to measure a person's degree of gender dysphoria. Transmasculine individuals were assigned female at birth and identify as male or masculine non-binary, and acoustic studies focusing on transmasculine voices are notably sparse. In a study including 20 transmasculine individuals, we compared UGDS-GS results to the following acoustic parameters: vocal tract length (VTL) estimates, fundamental frequency (f0), standard deviation of f0, and cepstral peak prominence smoothed (CPPS). We found a significant positive correlation between each acoustic measure and gender dysphoria. We also found robust associations between each of these measures and a voice-related quality of life measure. These findings indicate that the sound of one’s voice may be a strong predictor of gender dysphoria.