The Relationship Between Self-Esteem, Depression and Body Image in Individuals with Gender Dysphoria: Male-to-Female Type

Gender dysphoria (GD) as a general descriptive term refers to the distress that may accompany the incongruence between one’s experienced or expressed gender, and one’s assigned gender. The aim of the study was to investigate relationship among depression, self- esteem, and body image in individuals with gender dysphoria, male to female type. 31 transsexual men referred to Tehran psychiatric Institution for receiving therapy or surgery certification were selected and completed questionnaires including Appearance Schema Inventory (Cash, 1992), Multidimensional Body- self Relations questionnaire (Cash, 2000), Coopersmith self- esteem scale (Coopersmith, 1981) and Beck’s Depression Inventory-II (Beck, et al., 1996). In the group significant correlations were found between self-esteem and depression, self-esteem and both aspects of body image and between depression and two sides of body image (p<0.05). In stepwise regressions and only MtF group, self- esteem was related to body images and partially could predict its changes. Depression associated with the scores of ASI but the MBSRQ's could be anticipated with self- esteem. Although in the mentioned group the significant correlations were displayed, the anticipatory role of self-esteem in body image only was displayed its role in MBSRQ's inventory and not in ASI and could predict some aspects of body images changes.