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The mid-life male sex-change applicant: A multiclinic survey

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Abstract

Directors of coordinators of a cross-section of North American Gender Identity Clinics provided descriptive information on 1,637 sex-change applicants and psychosocial, psychosexual, and psychiatric data on 21 middleaged male candidates. To determine the age relatedness of the findings, the mid-life male candidates were then compared on selected characteristics with a random sample of younger biological males seeking sexual reassignment at the Vanderbilt Gender Identity Clinic. The results are consistent with previous findings highlighting the factors at mid-life that intensify the male transsexual's desire for sexual transformation. Viewing the aging gender dysphoria patient's surgical request from a developmental perspective promotes appreciation of his predicament and informed consideration of his treatment options.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 37232, Nashville, Tennessee, USA

    Howard B. Roback Ph.D. & Elyse Schwartz Felleman M.A.

  2. Department of Psychiatry, University of California, Davis School of Medicine, 95616, Davis, California, USA

    Stephen I. Abramowitz Ph.D.

Authors
  1. Howard B. Roback Ph.D.
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  2. Elyse Schwartz Felleman M.A.
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  3. Stephen I. Abramowitz Ph.D.
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The three authors contributed equally to the research.

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Roback, H.B., Felleman, E.S. & Abramowitz, S.I. The mid-life male sex-change applicant: A multiclinic survey. Arch Sex Behav 13, 141–153 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01542148

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01542148

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