Gender congruence and body satisfaction in nonbinary transgender people: A case control study

Abstract

Background: Binary transgender people access gender affirming medical interventions to alleviate gender incongruence and increase body satisfaction. Despite the increase in nonbinary transgender people, this population are less likely to access transgender health services compared to binary transgender people. No research has yet explored why by exploring levels of gender congruence and body satisfaction in non-binary transgender people. Objective: The aim of this study was to compare levels of gender congruence and body satisfaction in non-binary transgender people to controls (binary transgender people and cisgender (non-trans) people). Method: In total, 526 people from a community sample in the United Kingdom took part in the study (97 non-binary, 91 binary and 338 cisgender identifying people). Participants were asked to complete an online survey about gender congruence and body satisfaction. Results: There were differences in gender congruence and body satisfaction between nonbinary and binary transgender people. On sex specific parts of the body (i.e., chest, genitalia and secondary sex characteristics), non-binary transgender people reported significantly higher levels of gender and body satisfaction compared to binary transgender people. However, there was no difference in congruence and satisfaction with social gender role between the two transgender groups (non-binary and binary). Cisgender people reported significantly higher levels of gender congruence and body satisfaction compared to transgender people (non-binary and binary). Conclusion: There are differences in gender congruence and body satisfaction between nonbinary and binary transgender people. Non-binary individuals may be less likely to access transgender health services due to experiencing less gender incongruence and more body satisfaction compared to binary transgender people. Transgender health services need to be more inclusive of non-binary transgender people and their support and treatment needs, which may differ from those who identify within the binary gender system.

Health of Non-binary and Genderqueer People: A Systematic Review

“…Aparicio-García et al (2018) found that, when compared with cisgender individuals, NBGQ people had a higher risk of violence and employment discrimination, were higher isolated and unhappy, had more psychological problems and higher percentage of suicidal ideation. Similarly, Smalley et al (2016) found that NBGQ participants reported significantly higher rates of self-harm than their cisgender counterparts, and Jones et al (2019) found that cisgender participants reported significantly higher levels of gender congruence and body satisfaction than NBGQ counterparts. In addition, Bradford and Catalpa (2019) found that cisgender participants reported higher perceived family support than NBGQ participants, and that the association between significant other and friend support and life satisfaction was higher in cisgender participants than NBGQ participants.…”

“…compared with BT. Furthermore, Jones et al (2019) found significantly higher levels of gender congruence and body satisfaction in NBGQ participants compared to BT counterparts.…”

“…Results related to the health difference between NBGQ and BT individuals are rather heterogeneous. Indeed, some authors generally found a better health status in NBGQ than in BT individuals (Smalley et al, 2016; Rimes et al, 2017; Agénor et al, 2018; Jones et al, 2019), while others not (Aparicio-García et al, 2018; Clark et al, 2018; Thorne et al, 2018; Bradford and Catalpa, 2019; Goldberg et al, 2019).…”

“…The cross-sectional nature of all selected studies represents an important bias, as it does not allow to make inferences on developmental trajectories of NBGQ individuals, as well as on causal relationships between dimensions (e.g., how stigma affects health in different stages of life and/or the role played by stable and fixed vs. unstable or not yet determined NBGQ identity). This is particularly noteworthy as it seems that NBGQ individuals analyzed in the studies selected, except for the NBGQ subsample recruited by Jones et al (2019) whose mean age is 32.72 years, are prevalently included in a stage of life (i.e., emerging adulthood, which lasts from age 18 years to about age 29 years) that is full of developmental challenges, such as the physical and sexual maturity, the entry into university or job market, no longer being minors under the law (e.g., Arnett and Tanner, 2006; Amodeo et al, 2017; Scandurra et al, 2018b). Indeed, as suggested by Arnett et al (2014), emerging adulthood is a period of strong instability, as youths usually experience different love relationships and frequent job changes and are far from making enduring decisions about their life.…”

Mental health and quality of life in non-binary transgender adults: a case control study

“…Instead, poor mental health within the non-binary transgender population (compared to cisgender people) may be better explained by the challenges non-binary transgender people experience when having to navigate themselves in a society that so strongly advocates and emphasises the gender binary (Fiani & Han, 2018;Nicholas, 2018). Although these social challenges have been found to contribute towards poor mental health among binary transgender people, they are likely to be a more prominent explanation due to the lower levels of gender incongruence and body dissatisfaction that non-binary transgender people experience (Jones et al, 2019b). The stressors non-binary transgender people experience are also likely to be different to those experienced by binary transgender people.…”