Causal Modeling of Gender Identity/Gender Dysphoria Based on Autistic Traits and Alexithymia with Mediating Role of Suicidal Ideation in University Students

Mousavi , Mahsa; Basharpoor , Sajad

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Mousavi M, Basharpoor S. Causal Modeling of Gender Identity/Gender Dysphoria Based on Autistic Traits and Alexithymia with Mediating Role of Suicidal Ideation in University Students. MEJDS 2024; 14 :22-22
URL: http://jdisabilstud.org/article-1-3056-en.html

Causal Modeling of Gender Identity/Gender Dysphoria Based on Autistic Traits and Alexithymia with Mediating Role of Suicidal Ideation in University Students

Mahsa Mousavi ^*¹

, Sajad Basharpoor²

1- PhD Student in Psychology, Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran
2- Professor, Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran

Abstract: (841 Views)

Abstract
Background & Objectives: In their minds and psyche, people with gender identity disorder see themselves as a different gender and believe that they were wrongly born as a man or a woman. One of the psychological problems faced by people with gender dysphoria is the occurrence of autistic behaviors and traits in them. People with gender dysphoria suffer from psychological issues such as alexia due to reasons such as the inconsistency of gender roles in these people with society's standards and the presence of autistic traits in them. Alexithymia is a multifaceted construct with a close and inverse relationship with emotional intelligence. Considering that people with gender dysphoria face many problems that lead to psychological and social consequences for them, it seems necessary to know the effective factors in these problems and study them. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to model the causality of gender identity/gender dysphoria based on autistic traits and alexithymia with the mediating role of suicidal thoughts.
Methods: The present study is correlational analytic using the structural equation modeling method. The statistical population of the research comprised all students of Mohaghegh Ardabili University, Ardabil City, Iran, in the academic year 2021–2022. Because the participants might not complete all the questionnaires, 250 questionnaires were distributed, of which 220 were fully completed and analyzed. The statistical sample was 220 people, according to the number of research variables, who were selected from among the statistical population. Sampling was done by the available method. The informed and voluntary consent of the participants to participate in the research was the inclusion criteria. The exclusion criteria included incomplete questionnaires and unwillingness to cooperate in the research. The research data were collected through an internet questionnaire and virtual networks. To collect data, Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS) (Bagby et al., 1994), Autistic Spectrum Questionnaire (AQ) (Baron–Cohen et al., 2001), Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation (BSSI) (Beck et al., 1979), and Gender Identity/Gender Dysphoria Questionnaire for Adolescents and Adults (GIDYQ–AA) (Deogracias et al., 2007) were used. Descriptive statistics were used to measure mean, standard deviation, skewness, and kurtosis indicators. The Pearson correlation and structural equation modeling were used in the inferential part. The collected data were analyzed at a significance level 0.05 in SPSS24 and LISREL 8.8 software.
Results: Results indicated that the path coefficients between gender identity/gender dysphoria and autistic traits (β=0.33, p<0.001), alexithymia (β=0.47, p<0.001), and suicidal thoughts (β=0.27, p<0.001) were positive and significant. Also, indirect paths between gender identity/gender dysphoria and autistic traits (T–sobel=2.93, p<0.001) and alexithymia (T–sobel=2.01, p<0.001) through the mediating role of suicidal thoughts were significant. The goodness of fit indices supported the optimal fit of the research model with the collected data (χ²/df=2.10, NFI=0.92, GFI=0.88, CFI=0.93, and RMSEA=0.071).
Conclusion: According to the results, autistic traits, alexithymia, and suicidal thoughts have a direct effect on gender identity/gender dysphoria. This study is a crucial step to know the influential factors in the problems of people with gender dysphoria disorder.

Keywords: Gender identity/gender dysphoria, Autistic traits, Alexithymia, Suicidal thoughts

Full-Text [PDF 393 kb] (486 Downloads)

Type of Study: Original Research Article | Subject: Psychology

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