Self-perceptions of pragmatic communication abilities in male-to-female transsexuals

Abstract

This study investigated the perceptions of male-to-female transsexuals regarding their pragmatic abilities and overall communication satisfaction. Participants included 21 male-to-female transsexuals and 21 biological womenas controls matched for age. All transsexual participants fulfilled the inclusion criteria of having lived full time in the female gender role for at least2 years and having undergone gender reassignment.

Two questions were addressed. The first question concerned perceptions of pragmatic ability: Do transsexuals perceive themselves to have a significantly different frequency of pragmatic difficulties than nontranssexuals perceive themselves to have? The second question was exploratory and looked at predictors of communication satisfaction: Can the variables of length of time associated with the gender reassignment programme, voice pitch, satisfaction with voice, and self-perceived pragmatic ability significantly predict transsexuals' overall satisfaction with theircommunication?

A paired t-test revealed that the transsexuals' self-perceptions were significantly more negative than the self-perceptions of the control group.

Standard multiple regression was used to investigate potential predictors of communication satisfaction in the male-to-female transsexuals. The measures of satisfaction with voice, length of time associated with the gender reassignment programme, and perceived pragmatic abilities contributed significantly to prediction of communication satisfaction.

The findings suggest that therapy targeting both voice and pragmatic ability may prove beneficial for male-to-female transsexuals. Further, clinical measurement of the transsexuals' self-perceived pragmatic abilities and satisfaction with voice may provide clinicians with valuable information aboutthe overall communication satisfaction of their clients.