Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-s2hrs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-09T05:58:29.520Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Male Transsexualism in Singapore: a Description of 56 Cases

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

W. F. Tsoi ,
L. P. Kok  and
F. Y. Long
W. F. Tsoi
Affiliation:
Woodbridge Hospital, Singapore 19, Republic of Singapore
L. P. Kok
Affiliation:
Woodbridge Hospital, Singapore 19, Republic of Singapore
F. Y. Long
Affiliation:
Woodbridge Hospital, Singapore 19, Republic of Singapore
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

A psychiatric investigation on 56 cases of male transsexuals in Singapore revealed a prevalence of 1 in 25,000. Eighty-two per cent were prostitutes and 83 per cent had completed secondary education. All were unmarried, and 35 per cent were co-habiting with men. Fifty-eight per cent had felt they were females before the age of 5, 65 per cent cross-dressed before the age of 10, and by the age of 20, 57 per cent were completely cross-dressed of whom 73 per cent were receiving female sex hormones. Their mean IQ was 105. Thirty-two (58 per cent) underwent sexual reassignment surgery. There was no report of psychiatric complications. It was concluded that transsexualism as described by different authors may not refer to the same condition. Aetiologically, these cases did not appear to be determined by early childhood experience.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 131 , Issue 4 , October 1977 , pp. 405 - 409
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1977 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Doorbar, R. R. (1969) Psychological testing of male transsexuals. In Transsexualism and Sex Reassignment, chapter 14, pp 189–200. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press.Google Scholar
Eysenck, H. J. & Eysenck, S. B. G. (1964) Manual of the Eysenck Personality Inventory, London: University of London Press.Google Scholar
Gilberstadt, H. & Duker, J. (1965) A Handbook for Clinical and Actuarial MMPI Interpretation, Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders Company.Google Scholar
Hoenig, J. & Kenna, J. C. (1974) Prevalence of transsexualism in England and Wales. British Journal of Psychiatry, 124, 181–90.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hoenig, J. & Youd, A. (1970) Social and economic aspects of transsexualism. British Journal of Psychiatry, 117, 163–72.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hoopes, J. E., Knoor, N. J. & Wolf, S. R. (1968) Transsexualism: consideration regarding sexual reassignment. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 147, 510–16.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Long, F. Y. (1973) Some intelligence and personality data of Singapore medical students. Singapore Medical Journal, 14, 34–6.Google ScholarPubMed
Lukianowicz, N. (1959) Survey of various aspects of transvestism. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 128, 36–64.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pauly, I. B. (1965) Male psychosexual inversion: transsexualism. Archives of General Psychiatry, 13, 172–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pauly, I. B. (1968) The current status of the change of sex operation. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 147, 460–71.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pomeroy, W. B. (1969) Transsexualism and sexuality. In Transsexualism and Sex Reassignment, chapter 10, pp 183–8. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press.Google Scholar
Randell, J. B. (1950) Transvestism and transsexualism—a study of 50 cases. British Medical Journal, ii, 1448–52.Google Scholar
Slater, E. (1962) Birth order and maternal age of homosexuals. Lancet, i, 69–72.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stoller, R. J. (1968) Parental influences in male transsexualism. In Transsexualism and Sex Reassignment, chapter 8, pp 153–69. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press.Google Scholar
Wålinder, J. (1968) Transsexualism, definition, pre valence and sex distribution. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, Suppl 203, 255–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.