title: Body Image in Young Gender Dysphoric Adults: A European Multi-Center Study.
abstract: The alteration of sex-specific body features and the establishment of a satisfactory body image are known to be particularly relevant for individuals with Gender Dysphoria (GD). The aim of the study was to first develop new scales and examine the psychometric properties of the Hamburg Body Drawing Scale (Appelt & Strauß 1988). For the second part of this study, the satisfaction with different body features in young GD adults before cross-sex treatment were compared to female and male controls. Data collection took place within the context of the European Network for the Investigation of Gender Incongruence (ENIGI) including 135 female-to-male (FtMs) and 115 male-to-female (MtFs) young GD adults and 235 female and 379 male age-adjusted controls. The five female and six male body feature subscales revealed good internal consistency. The ENIGI sample reported less satisfaction with overall appearance (d = 0.30) and with all of their body features than controls, but no subgroup differences for sexual orientation (FtM and MtF) and Age of Onset (FtM) were found. Body dissatisfaction was higher with regard to sex-specific body features (largest effect sizes of d = 3.21 for Genitalia in FtMs and d = 2.85 for Androgen-responsive features and genitalia in MtFs) than with those that appeared less related to the natal sex (d = 0.64 for Facial features in FtMs and d = 0.59 for Body shape in MtFs). Not only medical body modifying interventions, but also psychosocial guidance with regard to body image might be helpful for GD individuals before transitioning.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Sex Research and Forensic Psychiatry, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.|Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Inga
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.affiliation: Institute for Sex Research and Forensic Psychiatry, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Timo O
authors.initials: TO
authors.lastname: Nieder
authors.affiliation: Institute for Sex Research and Forensic Psychiatry, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cerwenka
authors.affiliation: Institute for Sex Research and Forensic Psychiatry, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Peer
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Briken
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Psychology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Baudewijntje P C
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Kreukels
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Psychology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Peggy T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Cohen-Kettenis
authors.affiliation: Department of Sexology and Gender Problems, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: GrietDe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cuypere
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Neuroscience, Department of Neuropsychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine, Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Ira R Hebold
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: Haraldsen
authors.affiliation: Institute for Sex Research and Forensic Psychiatry, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany. hrichter@uke.de.
authors.forename: Hertha
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Richter-Appelt
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000728:Androgens; D001828:Body Image / Q000523:psychology*; D005006:Ethnicity; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D000068116:Gender Dysphoria / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011594:Psychometrics; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D014189:Transsexualism / Q000523:psychology; D044465:White People; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000728:Androgens
keywords: Body image; Body satisfaction; Gender dysphoria; Gender identity disorder; Gender incongruence; Transsexualism