| Abstract: | ABSTRACT Few studies have focused on the prevalence and extent of childhood trauma in the transsexual population. In our study of 42 transsexual people (34 = natal males, 8 = natal females), 55% (n = 23) reported experiencing an unwanted sexual event before the age of 18, with the average age of initial sexual contact being 13. This sexual event differs from other clinical populations in that the unwanted sexual experiences in this sample were the consequence of adolescents satisfying their curiosity about the gender of the transsexual rather than for their own sexual gratification. Consequently, the sequalae of the unwanted sexual touches in our sample did not lead to sexualised behaviours described in the sexual abuse literature of clinical samples. Our sample also reported being: verbally abused (77%), insulted (81%), embarrassed in front of others (55%), made to feel guilty by their parents (58%) before their fifteenth birthday. |
