Date of Award
2006
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Psychology
Abstract
This study examined the relationship between psychological well-being (i.e., depression, anxiety, self-esteem, gender role congruence) and level of outness in male-to-female (MTF) transsexuals. Hans (1998) stated that a transsexual is someone who, after experiencing intense long-term discomfort resulting from incongruence between their preferred gender and their biological sex, adapts his or her body and behavior to appropriately reflect his or her true gender identity. Participants were 105 MTF transsexual attendees at an annual transgender conference held in Atlanta, Georgia. Participants completed eight questionnaires, including: the Demographics Questionnaire, the Outness Demographics Questionnaire, the Outness Attitude Scale, the Openness Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory-II, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the Bem Sex Role Inventory. A multiple regression was conducted with psychological well-being variables as the predictors, and outness as the criterion variable. Results indicated that MTF transsexuals who reported higher levels of outness were found to have lower levels of depression, and increased feminine characteristics. Additionally, development, reliability, and validity of an 8-item instrument designed to measure outness in MTF transsexuals is presented. An exploratory factor analysis yielded two subscales: Level of Outness (4 items), and Perceived Benefits of Outness (4 items).
Recommended Citation
Strain, Jeffrey D., "Psychological Well-Being And Level Of Outness In Male -To -Female Transsexuals" (2006). All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1044.
https://scholars.indianastate.edu/etds/1044