Phd in DYNAMIC AND CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY

Thesis title: Identità, corpi e disforie: l’esperienza soggettiva e la valutazione della disforia di genere

The clinical and theoretical understanding of gender dysphoria has undergone significant transformations, shifting from a one-dimensional, body-centered view to a multidimensional and contextual perspective. The present PhD thesis investigated the subjective experience of gender and gender dysphoria within the Italian transgender and nonbinary population, through a design articulated in three studies. The first, qualitative study explored the construction of gender identity in a sample of nonbinary individuals, highlighting the role of social recognition, relational contexts, and cultural narratives in the development of gender identity. The second study examined, through four focus groups, the subjective experience of gender dysphoria across its bodily and social dimensions, involving a sample of trans men, trans women, and nonbinary young adults. This study led to a multidimensional and dynamic conceptualization of dysphoria, encompassing bodily discomfort, interpersonal dynamics, and minority stress. The third study operationalized this model through the development and validation of the Body and Social Gender Dysphoria Scale (BSGDS), a new self-report measure of gender dysphoria developed through a bottom-up and community-informed approach. The scale showed a multifactorial structure articulated into three distinct yet interconnected dimensions: bodily, interpersonal, and sociocultural dysphoria. Overall, this research contributes to the theoretical and empirical definition of a multidimensional model of gender dysphoria, offering a framework that more accurately captures the diverse ways in which it can be experienced, and that gives voice to and centers those who experience it firsthand.