Facing Transgender and Cisgender Patients: the Influence of the Client’s Experienced Gender and Gender Identity on Clinical Evaluation

Abstract

The present study aims at investigating the role of anti-transgender bias in the psychological assessment of transgender (vs. cisgender) patients. To this purpose, a female sample of licensed psychotherapists (N = 218) was presented with clinical vignettes that described a transgender (vs. cisgender) man (vs. woman) reporting depressive symptoms or anger outbursts. Participants were asked to evaluate the fictitious patient answering questions on their diagnostic impressions (e.g., psychopathological severity). Moreover, the respondents' individual variables (i.e., right-wing authoritarianism) were also assessed. Results revealed that, for high levels of authoritarianism, psychotherapists evaluated cisgender women as more severe than transwomen and cisgender men. Implications for clinical practice are discussed.

Personality Disorders and Personality Profiles in a Sample of Transgender Individuals Requesting Gender-Affirming Treatments

“…For instance, in a qualitative study with 45 TGNC participants, Mizock and Lundquist [56] identified specific missteps psychotherapists make in working with this vulnerable group, including gender pathologizing. Clinician bias against transgender clients has been also documented in experimental studies using case reports of fictitious patients [57,58]. It is possible that the discrepancies between self-rated and clinician-rated personality assessment in the present study may be at least partially attributed to some form of implicit bias in the clinicians.…”

Microaggressions towards lesbian and transgender women: Biased information gathering when working alongside gender and sexual minorities

“…First therapists may ask more questions on the sexual identity of cisgender lesbian and transgender clients because they connect the patients’ symptoms with the patients’ sexual orientation and gender identity (Anzani et al, 2020 ). The assumption that sexual identity is the cause of their current symptoms contributes to the idea being perpetuated that sexual and gender marginalized identities are inherently “wrong” and problematic, fostering internalization of negative attitudes towards one's own minority identity.…”

“…Despite increased mental health disparities among LGBT individuals, psychological services are mostly ineffective in meeting the needs of this specific population. Furthermore, therapeutic relationships are not immune to societal norms and values that pervade attitudes toward sex and gender (Anzani et al, 2020 ). Thus, although microaggressions that occur in therapy have been recognized as a violation of ethical guidelines, counseling interventions with people of marginalized groups often entail individuals being involved in a therapeutic relationship that places members in either the dominant or the marginalized social group (Morris et al, 2019 ).…”

Out of the Binary: What Trans Adults With ‘Eating Disorders’ Want From Healthcare Professionals

“…There is a consensus among both trans individuals and healthcare providers that healthcare is failing trans individuals. A growing body of research has explored the health care experiences of trans individuals (Anzani, 2019;Goldberg, 2019;Ross, 2018). This research tends to be divided into two groups, trans individuals experience of healthcare (Meyer, 2019;, and healthcare professionals' understanding of the barriers faced by trans individuals (Hanssmann, 2008;Israel, Walther, 2011).…”