ArticleAutism : the international journal of research and practice2022
The lived experience of gender dysphoria in autistic adults: An interpretative phenomenological analysis.
Article in Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 42 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
42 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 79 citations in OpenAlex.
- Understanding Mechanisms that Maintain Social Anxiety Disorder in Autistic Individuals Through the Clark and Wells (1995) Model and Beyond: A Systematic Review.Clinical child and family psychology review · 2024Pooled it
- A Systematic Review of Gender Dysphoria Measures in Autistic Samples.Archives of sexual behavior · 2024Pooled it
- The potential for successful autistic ageing: Proposing a lifespan developmental psychology approach.Autism : the international journal of research and practice · 2026Review
- Beyond the Outburst: Charting a New Frontier for Understanding and Treating Irritability in Autistic Adults.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research · 2026Review
- The relationship between autism and gender dysphoria, and their co-occurrence with transgender identity: research conditions and implications.Postepy psychiatrii neurologii · 2026Review
- Healthcare experiences of transgender and gender-diverse people in the UK: a scoping review.BMJ open · 2026Article
- "Just Listen to Me. Help Me Explore it." An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Exploring Experiences of Gender Dysphoria, Identity And Resilience in Autistic Adolescents Assigned Female at Birth.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Article
- Gender Diversity, Gender Dysphoria/Incongruence, and the Intersection with Autism Spectrum Disorders: An Updated Scoping Review.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Article
- Behavioral Health Assessments and Surgical Readiness Letters for Gender-affirming Surgery: Current Literature, Standards of Care, and Practical Guidance.Current psychiatry reports · 2026Review
- Implicit and explicit gender identification in autistic and nonautistic gender clinic-referred youth, and their caregivers.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2026Article
- Investigation of associations between self-reported sensory processing, eating disorder symptoms, neurodivergence, and gender congruence from a lived experience lens.Journal of eating disorders · 2026Article
- Autism Diagnostic Assessments for Gender-Diverse Individuals: A Modified Delphi Study of Clinician Experts in the Fields of Autism and Gender Diversity.JAACAP open · 2026Article
- Gender Identity Profiles in Autistic and Non-Autistic Cisgender and Gender Diverse Youth, and Their Caregivers.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research · 2026Article
- Multimodal evidence and technology-enabled accommodations for autistic adults: an evidential framework for autism research and practice.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- "I had this fear that as an autistic person, they would take me less seriously": Trans autistic experiences of epistemic (in)justice in gender-affirming care.International journal of transgender health · 2026Article
- Disordered eating in autistic trans and gender diverse people: a lived experience-led scoping review.Journal of eating disorders · 2025Review
- The Spectrum of Sex and Gender.Archives of sexual behavior · 2025Article
- Menstruation among autistic adults: An occupational perspective.The British journal of occupational therapy · 2025Article
- Deliberate and Self-Conscious Adaptation of Eye-Contact by Autistic Adults.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2025Article
- One Size Does Not Fit All: Clothing Choice in Young People with Autism and Gender Dysphoria.Archives of sexual behavior · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
lay abstractAutistic people are more likely to be transgender, which means having a gender identity different to one's sex assigned at birth. Some transgender people experience distress about their gender and sex assigned at birth not matching which is called gender dysphoria. Research has focused on finding out why autistic people are more likely to have gender dysphoria, and less on what the experience of gender dysphoria is like for autistic people. We interviewed 21 autistic adults about their experience of incongruence between their gender identity and sex assigned at birth, and any associated distress. We carefully read the transcripts of the interviews, focusing on how participants understood their experiences. We found a range of themes from the interviews. Participants were distressed because their bodies did not match their gender identities. Participants told us they had to work hard to understand themselves and who they were, and to manage having multiple different needs such as mental health needs. It was upsetting for participants to experience discrimination because of being autistic and/or transgender. Some participants said it was more difficult to get transgender healthcare as an autistic person. Some participants thought being autistic had helped them understand their gender identity more than non-autistic people. Other participants found it was challenging to be both autistic and transgender. For example, most participants wanted to change their bodies to match their gender identity, but some participants were nervous about making changes to themselves and their routine due to being autistic. We conclude that autism can in some ways be helpful and other ways contribute to challenges for transgender autistic people.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.