Melbourne researchers have developed a world first scale to measure gender euphoria among trans adolescents and adults. And the new tool to assess gender euphoria, a feeling of joy in how a person's gender identity is presented and perceived, could have significant implications for mental health interventions.
The research, led by Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) and Swinburne University of Technology in collaboration with the University of Melbourne, found the tool was reliable and consistent in measuring gender euphoria, making it highly valuable to clinicians and researchers.
MCRI and Swinburne University researcher Charlotte Blacklock said the tool had the potential to significantly advance our understanding of positive gender-related experiences.
"We have created the first ever scale to assess gender euphoria, a concept that arose from within the trans community to describe positive feelings associated with being trans," she said. Despite its importance within the trans population, there had been no consistent, valid or reliable way of measuring gender euphoria.
"There is growing recognition of the need to broaden understandings of gender diversity by exploring and highlighting the joyful aspects of trans people's lives."
Published in the International Journal of Transgender Health, the research involved 732 trans participants, aged 16 to 70 years in Australia, from the TRANSform study. Participants were asked a series of questions related to their past experiences of gender euphoria.
Almost all respondents, 96.6 per cent, had experienced gender euphoria, 61.6 per cent experienced gender euphoria weekly or daily and 85.6 per cent rated their gender euphoria as being from moderate to very strong over the past year.
MCRI Associate Professor Ken Pang said he expected the scale, which could help reshape mental health interventions for the trans community, to be used in clinical care moving forwards.
Image: Associate Professor Ken Pang
The tool consists of three subscales covering social affirmation, self-affirmation, and community connection.
"The scale may assist mental health workers and clinicians with helping trans patients to experience gender euphoria rather than focussing primarily on avoiding dysphoria," he said. Identifying experiences that lead to gender euphoria could highlight pathways for interventions that improve mental health and facilitate positive gender experiences."
Researchers from The Royal Children's Hospital, the University of Melbourne and Duke University also contributed to the findings.
Publication
C. A. Blacklock, M. A. Tollit, C. C. Pace, B. Elphinstone, S. Zwickl, A. S. Cheung, K. Citron, S. Marsan, N. Zucker, S. Buzwell*, and K. C. Pang*. 'The Gender Euphoria Scale (GES): Development of a tool to measure gender euphoria,' International Journal of Transgender Health. DOI: 10.1080/26895269.2024.2447768
**The content of this communication is the sole responsibility of MCRI and does not reflect the views of the NHMRC.
