Development and Initial Validation of a Measure of Gender Dissociation
Existing quantitative research with both trans and cis people conceptualizes dissociation as a general posttraumatic response (i.e., traumatic dissociation). However, theory and preliminary qualitative research suggests that trans people may also experience unique gender dissociation, which may involve disconnection from gendered embodiment/experiences in response to the violence of transphobic victimization and misgendering and the associated perceptions of incongruence and dysphoric distress. No measure of gender dissociation currently exists, so we are aiming to use participatory methods to co-create a measure with trans community members. We will recruit trans and nonbinary adults for participatory focus groups to define and discuss gender dissociation and create the initial measure, followed by an online survey to complete quantitative validation and elicit additional qualitative feedback from a larger group of trans people. Participant recruitment for this study is expected to begin in late summer/early Fall of 2024.