The Effects of Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy on Body Satisfaction, Self-Esteem, Quality of Life, and Psychopathology in People with Female-to-Male Gender Dysphoria

Purpose: Gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) is one of the most important therapeutic interventions sought by people with gender dysphoria (GD). In the present study, we aimed to examine the effects of GAHT on body satisfaction, self-esteem, quality of life, and psychopathology in people with female-to-male (FtM) GD. Methods: Thirty-seven FtM GD participants who did not receive any gender-affirming therapy, 35 FtM GD participants who received GAHT for over 6 months, and 38 cisgender women were included in the study. The Body Cathexis Scale (BCS), Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale (RSES), World Health Organization's Quality of Life Questionnaire Brief Form (WHOQOL-BREF), and Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) were completed by all participants. Results: The BCS scores of the untreated group were significantly lower than both the GAHT group and the female controls ( p <0.001); while the WHOQOL-BREF-psychological health scores of the untreated group were significantly lower than those of the female controls ( p =0.003). The psychoticism subscale scores on the SCL-90-R of the untreated group were higher than those of the GAHT group ( p =0.04) as well as the female controls ( p =0.003). With regard to the RSES, there were no significant differences between the groups. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that people with FtM GD who receive GAHT are more satisfied with their bodies and have less psychopathological problems compared to those who do not receive GAHT, but their quality of life and self-esteem do not change as a result of GAHT.