XV Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association Symposium

The State of Our Art and the State of Our Science

Childhood sexual abuse: A profile of 44 patients attending the gender clinic at the Centre for Sexuality, Gender Identity and Reproductive Health

By Darlynne Gehring, MSW, MFT
Gender Dysphoria Clinic, Centre for Sexuality, Gender Identity and Reproductive Health, B.M. Segal, R. Weiderman, D.J. Crickett Psychiatric Clinics, Vancouver General Hospital, 714 West 12^th Avenue, Vancouver, B.C. V5Z 1M9, Canada
Abstract
Special recognition and thanks to T.R. Janzé and K.Kishimoto

Previous research has established the prevalence of sexual abuse in the general population. Research suggests that childhood sexual abuse is associated with adverse effects on adult adjustment, with more pronounced effects resulting from more severe forms of abuse. The more severe forms of sexual abuse usually refer to genital contact or force by an adult male perpetrator, who is usually identified as the father. These adverse effects are expressed in three general areas: emotional and psychological functioning, social and interpersonal relationships, and sexual adjustment. It has been hypothesized by authors and practitioners that the etiology of transsexuals is the accumulative results of childhood abuse. Our preliminary research findings do not substantiate these claims.

In this study, we assess the sexual abuse histories of patients attending our Gender Dysphoria Clinic in order to investigate the relationship between reported childhood sexual abuse and current adult functioning.