Mentalising Moderates the Link between Autism Traits and Current Gender Dysphoric Features in Primarily Non-autistic, Cisgender Individuals.
Aimilia Kallitsounaki, David Williams
PMID 32239391WHAT IT FOUND
In adults without gender dysphoria, higher autism traits linked to more recalled childhood crossgender behaviour and current gender dysphoric traits.
This link was strongest in those with poorer mentalising skills, suggesting these traits interact rather than one simply causing the other.
Key findings
01Higher autism traits were significantly associated with both more recalled childhood crossgender identity and more current gender dysphoric traits.
02Mentalising ability moderated the link between autism traits and gender dysphoria: the association was significant only for those with lower mentalising scores.
03Participants with a formal autism diagnosis had significantly higher rates of clinically significant gender dysphoria compared to non-autistic participants.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The sample consisted of cisgender adults recruited online, limiting generalisability to clinical populations or those with diagnosed gender dysphoria. The number of participants with a formal autism diagnosis was very small (13), making group comparisons unstable. Self-report measures and retrospective recall of childhood behaviour introduce potential bias. The study is cross-sectional, so it cannot determine causality between autism traits, mentalising, and gender dysphoria.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The study was approved by the Kent School Research Ethics Committee.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret this as evidence that mentalising deficits cause gender dysphoria or that autism traits are irrelevant in those with good mentalising. The study shows an association in a non-clinical, cisgender sample, not a mechanism or a diagnostic rule for gender dysphoria in autistic individuals.