Personality Disorders and Personality Profiles in a Sample of Transgender Individuals Requesting Gender-Affirming Treatments.

Annalisa Anzani,Chiara De Panfilis,Cristiano Scandurra,Antonio Prunas

doi:10.3390/ijerph17051521

Abstract

The study aims to explore the personality patterns of a group of transgender individuals who accessed an Italian gender clinic to undergo gender affirming treatments, by evaluating both dimensional personality domains proposed by the Alternative Model of Personality Disorders and categorical DSM-IV personality disorder (PD) diagnoses. Eighty-seven participants (40 transgender women and 47 transgender men) completed the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis II personality disorders. Scores obtained were compared to those of the normative samples of cisgender women and men. Results indicated that transgender women scored lower than cisgender women on two main domains (Negative Affectivity and Psychoticism) and on seven facets. As for transgender men, lower scores than cisgender men were found on Antagonism and on five facets. Transgender men scored higher than cisgender men on Depressivity. Nearly 50% of participants showed at least one PD diagnosis, with no gender differences in prevalence. Borderline PD was the most frequent diagnosis in the overall sample. Self-report measures provide a less maladaptive profile of personality functioning than the clinician-based categorical assessment. Results are interpreted in the light of the Minority Stress Model and support the need for a multi-method assessment of personality in medicalized transgender people.

Highlights

Mental health among transgender people is a sensitive topic and the role of mental health professionals in the diagnosis of gender dysphoria and the diagnosis itself are still controversial [1,2]
As we start from the assumption that transgender identities are not pathological per se, we evaluate personality pathology as an outcome of the minority stress and social oppression experienced by transgender individuals
We evaluated the prevalence of DSM-IV categorical personality disorder (PD) diagnoses in the transgender women and men subsamples

Summary

Introduction

Mental health among transgender people is a sensitive topic and the role of mental health professionals in the diagnosis of gender dysphoria and the diagnosis itself are still controversial [1,2]. Dhejne et al [2] for a review) This datum should be framed within the minority stress theory (MST) [3,4], a theoretical framework assessing the role of psychosocial stressors in affecting health and well-being. Research on PD in medicalized transgender people is significant, as personality pathology might influence the clinical manifestations of gender dysphoria (GD) and the gender transition process. Public Health 2020, 17, 1521; doi:10.3390/ijerph17051521 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph

Objectives

Discussion

Conclusion