Minority Stress and the Effects on Emotion Processing in Transgender Men and Cisgender People: A Study Combining fMRI and Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ( 1H-MRS)

Background Minority stress via discrimination, stigmatization, and exposure to violence can lead to development of mood and anxiety disorders and underlying neurobiochemical changes. To date, the neural and neurochemical correlates of emotion processing in transgender people (and their interaction) are unknown. Methods This study combined functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy ( 1H-MRS) to uncover the effects of anxiety and perceived stress on the neural and neurochemical substrates, specifically Choline, on emotion processing in transgender men. Thirty transgender men (TM), 30 cisgender men (CM), and 35 cisgender women (CW) passively viewed angry, neutral, happy, and surprise faces in the fMRI scanner, underwent a 1H-MRS scan and filled out mood and anxiety related questionnaires. Results As predicted, Choline levels modulated the relationship between anxiety and stress symptoms and the neural response to angry and surprise (but not happy faces) in the amygdala. This was only the case for TM but not cisgender comparisons. More generally, neural responses in the left amygdala, left middle frontal gyrus, and medial frontal gyrus to emotional faces in TM resembled that of CW. Conclusions These results provide first evidence of a critical interaction between levels of analysis and that Choline may influence neural processing of emotion in individuals prone to minority stress.

Perceived Parenting Styles of Individuals With Gender Dysphoria

Objective: To map patterns of behavior of parents and/or caregivers as perceived by their adult children, transgender patients seen through the Programa Transdisciplinar de Identidade de Gênero, and to determine if one parenting style was more prevalent.Design: 82 patients were interviewed by the Parenting Style Inventory.Results: The 82 patients (32 transgender men and 50 transgender women) completed a total of 145 protocols, being 65 concerning their fathers, and 80 concerning their mothers. The transgender women’s perceptions of their mothers were significantly different from those concerning their fathers. The transgender men and women had a positive mean perception of their relationship with their mothers and a negative mean perception of their fathers. The transgender women had on average a positive perception of their relationship with their mothers and a negative perception of their relationship with their fathers. This difference in perception was primarily in positive practices; the women felt that their mothers exhibited more positive practices of Positive Monitoring (A) and Moral Behavior (B) than their fathers. When we compared negative practices, negligence alone was considered the worst parental pattern by both transgender men and women.Conclusion: Our study shows that fathers, more so than mothers, need to be encouraged to participate in the process of understanding the transgender condition and that in general, families need to be supported by mental health professionals to provide a more welcoming environment for individuals with Gender Dysphoria.