Mental Health, Relationships, and Gender Dysphoria in Male Cross-Dressers and Transfeminine Individuals From an Online Community Sample

Abstract

Few studies have compared the mental health, relationships, and gender dysphoria of male cross-dressers and transfeminine individuals. This research is important because evidence suggests that these two groups overlap and experience increased life challenges. In the present study, we examined differences in measures of mental health, relationships, and gender dysphoria between 519 male cross-dressers and 288 transfeminine individuals recruited online. In this study, we also examined differences between both groups ( n  = 807) and 293 cisgender men and 301 cisgender women from the general population. Transfeminine individuals reported more mental-health concerns and especially gender dysphoria than male cross-dressers. Furthermore, both groups reported more issues in mental health (e.g., psychological distress, autistic traits), relationships (e.g., less perceived social support), and gender dysphoria relative to cisgender men and women. Results highlight the clinical and scientific importance of clearly distinguishing male cross-dressers and transfeminine individuals when attending to their mental health, relationships, and gender dysphoria.