Psychological adjustment in transvestism and transsexualism

Thirty-four transvestites who had shown fetishistic arousal in association with cross-dressing were categorized into two groups on the intensity of feminine gender identity. The two transvestite groups were compared to a group of 24 non-fetishistic transsexuals who sought a full sex change operation. Ss in all three groups reported greater current psychological stress and scored higher on neuroticism and introversion than Ss in a normal population. A large proportion of Ss in the three groups had previously sought psychiatric help. The degree of psychological maladjustment was not related to the intensity of feminine gender identity.