Oliver Michelle, Poysden Zoe, Crowe Eimear, Parkin Flo, Mair Ally Pax Arcari, Hendry Neil, Macey Emma, Gillespie-Smith Karri
Department of Clinical Psychology, School of Health in Social Science, Medical School, University of Edinburgh, Teviot Place, Central Campus, Edinburgh, EH8 9AG, UK.
Psychology Department, NHS Forth Valley, Falkirk Community Hospital, Mayfield Building, Westburn Avenue, Falkirk, FK1 5QE, UK.
J Autism Dev Disord. 2025 Jan 7. doi: 10.1007/s10803-024-06688-6.
Much of the current autism and gender literature has been based within a medical deficiency model; where both are seen as deficiencies rather than differences. However, there is currently minimal knowledge about the experiences of being an autistic adolescent who is both assigned female at birth and has gender dysphoria (GD), whilst even less is known about their experiences of social identity, self-concept and resilience. This study aims to explore experiences of GD with a particular focus on identity and resilience to promote parent and healthcare staff understanding; particularly around gender-affirming care, to foster positive mental health outcomes. Five assigned female at birth autistic adolescents, who identify as trans men/boys, took part in one-to-one semi-structured interviews, which were analysed using an Interpretative Phenomenological Approach. Five subordinate themes arose; "Having both autism and GD", "Finding where I belong", "Being more than labels", "Trying to cope" and "Making support successful". Our findings build on current literature and theory regarding the experience of concurrent autism and GD; highlighting its legitimacy, the ways in which autism impacts upon GD and how healthcare approaches and policy can increase accessibility and suitability of gender-affirming care.
当前许多关于自闭症和性别的文献都基于医学缺陷模型；在该模型中，自闭症和性别都被视为缺陷而非差异。然而，目前对于出生时被指定为女性且患有性别焦虑症（GD）的自闭症青少年的经历了解甚少，而对于他们的社会身份、自我概念和复原力的经历更是知之甚少。本研究旨在探索性别焦虑症的经历，特别关注身份认同和复原力，以增进家长和医护人员的理解；尤其是在性别肯定护理方面，以促进积极的心理健康结果。五名出生时被指定为女性、认同自己为跨性别男性/男孩的自闭症青少年参与了一对一的半结构化访谈，并采用解释现象学方法进行分析。出现了五个次要主题：“同时患有自闭症和性别焦虑症”、“找到自己的归属”、“不仅仅是标签”、“努力应对”和“使支持取得成功”。我们的研究结果建立在当前关于自闭症和性别焦虑症并发经历的文献和理论基础之上；强调了其合理性、自闭症对性别焦虑症的影响方式，以及医疗方法和政策如何提高性别肯定护理的可及性和适用性。
