Socio-demographic features of gender dysphoria in a Sardinian adult population

Gender dysphoria (GD) is a rare entity in psychiatry; there are a lot of studies about its clinical aspects, but only few investigations considering the socio-demographic characteristics of these patients, especially concerning Italian population. The aim of this study is to evaluate socio-demographic characteristics of GD individuals seeking assistance for gender transition and to assess possible differences between MtFs and FtMs. A consecutive series of 25 patients (56% MtF and 44% FtM), from 17 to 49 years old (mean age: 29.6 ± 9.52), were evaluated for gender dysphoria from June 2011 to May 2015. All subjects met the criteria for gender identity disorder (GID), based on DSM-IV-TR. The results have shown that FtMs refer for psychiatric help in younger age than MtFs (21–25 years vs. 36–50 years, P  = .038); most of the patients are unemployed (48%; P  = .014) and live with their parents (68%; P  = .001), without statistically significant gender differences. Regarding sexual orientation, 84% of the sample report to feel attracted by individuals of the same-genotypic sex ( P P  = .007). Moreover, a significant statistical difference was found between the two groups in the “real-life experience”; all FtMs live as males, while only 50% of MtFs show themselves as females in the daily life and activities ( P  = .008). This is a preliminary study comparing the socio-demographic features of a MtF and FtM GD population in Sardinia. Although the limitation of a small sample, our results do not differ from the literature data; in particular, FtMs display significantly better global functioning and less problems in social integration.