Author:

Keywords:

Social Sciences, Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Psychology, Clinical, Psychiatry, Psychology, transgender, eating disorder psychopathology, risk factors, cross-sex hormones, body dissatisfaction, GENDER IDENTITY DISORDER, ANOREXIA-NERVOSA, BODY DISSATISFACTION, HOSPITAL ANXIETY, SELF-ESTEEM, PEOPLE, PREVALENCE, DEPRESSION, DYSPHORIA, PATHOLOGY, Adult, Anxiety, Body Image, Depression, Feeding and Eating Disorders, Female, Gender Identity, Gonadal Steroid Hormones, Humans, Male, Prevalence, Psychopathology, Risk Factors, Transgender Persons, Transsexualism, 1103 Clinical Sciences, 1701 Psychology, Clinical Psychology, 3202 Clinical sciences, 3210 Nutrition and dietetics, 5203 Clinical and health psychology

Abstract:

Many transgender people experience high levels of body dissatisfaction, which is one of the numerous factors known to increase vulnerability to eating disorder symptoms in the cisgender (non-trans) population. Cross-sex hormones can alleviate body dissatisfaction so might also alleviate eating disorder symptoms. This study aimed to explore risk factors for eating disorder symptoms in transgender people and the role of cross-sex hormones. Individuals assessed at a national transgender health service were invited to participate (N = 563). Transgender people not on cross-sex hormones reported higher levels of eating disorder psychopathology than people who were. High body dissatisfaction, perfectionism, anxiety symptoms, and low self-esteem were risk factors for eating psychopathology, but, after controlling for these, significant differences in eating psychopathology between people who were and were not on cross-sex hormones disappeared. Cross-sex hormones may alleviate eating disorder psychopathology. Given the high prevalence of transgender identities, clinicians at eating disorder services should assess for gender identity issues. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.