A neuropsychological exploration of autistic traits in a transgender population

Smith, Andrew (2014) A neuropsychological exploration of autistic traits in a transgender population. D Clin Psy thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

There have been a small number of studies reporting a higher prevalence of autistic symptomatology in people with Gender Dysphoria (GD), in particular transmen (male-to-female), when compared with the general population. This study aimed to further these findings by recruiting a sample of 26 transgender adults and administering the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ), together with measures of the cognitive traits of sex-differentiated thinking associated with autism and neuropsychological measures sensitive to the deficits associated with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD’s), including emotion recognition, planning and set-shifting . The transgender sample was shown to occupy an area of the autism spectrum that was intermediate between ASD and neurotypical comparators. A potential trend of higher median AQ scores in transmen was observed but non-significant (r= .19). Cognitive sex differences on the Systemising Quotient-Revised (SQ-R) and Empathy Quotient (EQ) showed trends in the direction of their perceived gender in selected domains. Further examinations of relationships suggested that correct identification of emotions on the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) Emotion Recognition Task (ERT) subtest was inversely related to levels of autistic traits and positively related to empathy-traits. No significant relationships were found between number of autistic traits and performance on planning and set-shifting tasks for the entire transgender sample. The overall findings of the study indicate that the pattern of performance expected in ASD was not found in the transgender sample recruited.

• Item Type: Thesis (D Clin Psy)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Keywords: Autistic traits, transgender, neuropsychological assessment, emotion recognition, executive function
• Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
• Colleges/Schools: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Health & Wellbeing > Mental Health and Wellbeing
• Supervisor's Name: Smith, Dr. Daniel
• Date of Award: 2014
• Depositing User: Mr Andrew Smith
• Unique ID: glathesis:2014-5755
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 11 Nov 2014 10:06
• Last Modified: 11 Nov 2014 10:08
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/5755