Assessment of personality traits and severity of depressive symptoms in adolescents experiencing gender dysphoria before and after initiating gender-affirming hormonal interventions

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to determine which mental difficulties occur in adolescent transgender individuals before and after initiating gender-affirming hormonal interventions (GAHI). METHODS: The study included 50 transgender individuals. All participants were examined at the diagnostic process stage and at least 6 months after the initiation of GAHI. First, a qualitative study was conducted as an in-depth individual interview, followed by the administration of the following psychological tests: NEO-FFI and the Depression Assessment Questionnaire (DAQ). Statistical processing and visualization of the obtained results were performed using a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet for Office 365 MSO and Dell Statistica 13.1 (data analysis software system). RESULTS: Statistical analyses showed that after the initiation of GAHI in adolescent transgender individuals, the level of neuroticism and the severity of depressive symptoms decreased. CONCLUSIONS: Initiating GAHI in transgender individuals has a positive effect on the level of neuroticism as well as on the severity of depressive symptoms. Significant relationships were demonstrated between the level of neuroticism and the severity of depressive symptoms in the studied subjects.