AUTHOR=Liu Yan , Wang Zhanqiang , Dong Hanwen , Zhang Yueqian , Yang Kebing , Yang Qingyan , Wang Zhiren , Niu Yajuan 

TITLE=Assessment of psychological personality traits in transgender groups using the Minnesota multiphasic personality inventory

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=15

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1416011

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1416011

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=<sec id="sec1"><title>Objective</title><p>To explore the psychological personality characteristics of transgender groups and to determine whether these characteristics differ according to sociodemographic factors.</p></sec><sec id="sec2"><title>Methods</title><p>This cross-sectional study was conducted between January 2021 and April 2023 at a psychosexual outpatient clinic in a psychiatric hospital in Beijing, China. In total, 481 individuals were included in this study, and demographic information was collected using a self-administered general questionnaire. Psychological personality traits were assessed using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI).</p></sec><sec id="sec3"><title>Results</title><p>The mean scores of the assigned male at birth (AMAB) group were significantly higher than those of the male controls for all 10 clinical factors of the MMPI (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.01 or <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001). The scores for both the Masculinity-femininity (Mf) and Depression (D) factors in the AMABs group exceeded the clinical threshold (<italic>T</italic> &gt; 60) and were the highest and second-highest scores on the entire scale, respectively. Individuals assigned female at birth (AFAB) had significantly higher scores than female controls for Hysteria (Hy), Psychopathic Deviate (Pd), and Hypomania (Ma) (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.01, and <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001, respectively). There were significant differences in the rates of abnormal values for the various factors of the MMPI (<italic>T</italic> &gt; 60) according to gender, age, and education (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.01, and <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001, respectively). Compared to AFABs, AMABs had higher rates of abnormal scores (<italic>T</italic> &gt; 60) on the Hypochondriasis (Hs), D, Hy, Mf, Paranoia (Pa), Psychasthenia (Pt), Schizophrenia (Sc), and Social Introversion (Si) scales (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.01, and <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001, respectively). Second, the transgender group aged ≤25 years had higher rates of abnormal scores (<italic>T</italic> &gt; 60) on the Hs, D, Hy, Pd, Pa, Pt, Sc, and Ma scales (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.01, and <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001, respectively). Finally, outliers (<italic>T</italic> &gt; 60) for the Hs, D, Hy, Pd, Pa, Pt, Ma, and Si factors were more prevalent among those with a primary to high school level of education (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.01, and <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001, respectively).</p></sec><sec id="sec4"><title>Conclusion</title><p>Assigned male at births may have a variety of psychological vulnerabilities, and there is a need to focus especially on those with a primary to high school level of education, those aged ≤25 years, and transgender females.</p></sec>