Comparison of Masculine and Feminine Gender Roles in Iranian Patients with Gender Identity Disorder
INTRODUCTION:
Gender identity disorders
(GID) are heterogeneous disorders that may be influenced by culture and social norms.
AIM:
The aim of this
study was to determine masculine and feminine gender roles in a group of Iranian patients with
GID and compare these roles with two control groups.
METHODS:
Twelve male-to-female
(MF) and 27 female-to-male (FM) individuals with GID referred to Tehran Psychiatric
Institute in Tehran, I. R. Iran were evaluated by self-report inventories and were
compared with two groups of healthy controls (81 men and 89 women). Diagnoses were
established based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,
fourth edition (DSM-IV) criteria. Data analysis was done using analysis of variance
and chi-squared test.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:
Masculine and feminine gender roles were assessed by two questionnaires: (i) Gender-Masculine (GM)
and Gender-Feminine (GF)
scales derived from the Minnesota Multiphasic Inventory-2 (MMPI-2); (ii) Bem Sex
Role Inventory (BSRI).
RESULTS:
In the scales
of masculinity, MF-GID individuals scored as male controls, but lower than female
controls. FM-GID individuals scored similar to female controls and higher than male
controls. In femininity scales, MF-GID individuals and control women seemed similar,
and both scored higher than the other groups. FM-GID persons were considered less feminine than both controls in the GF scale of MMPI-2, but not
in the BSRI. In both scales, FM-GID persons had higher scores than control women
and MF-GID individuals.
CONCLUSION:
Iranian FM-GID
individuals were less feminine than
normal men. However, MF-GID individuals were similar to normal women or more feminine. Cultural considerations remain to be investigated.
- 1Mental Health Research Center Department of Psychiatry Iran University of Medical Sciences Tehran Iran.
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