Abstract
Background
Individuals with gender dysphoria are exposed to greater health risks and are increasingly seeking medical care. In pursuit of gender equity and improved healthcare outcomes, this study aimed to explore the lived experiences of individuals with gender dysphoria in Iran, where the ‘traditional’ gender binary constitutes an integral aspect of Islamic social ethics.
Methods
We employed a qualitative approach using a phenomenological hermeneutic framework. Fourteen individuals with gender dysphoria were recruited to participate using purposive sampling. Face-to-face and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data, which was subsequently analysed using the seven-stages of Critical Hermeneutic Analysis.
Results
Our findings revealed how people living with gender dysphoria experienced a lack of social and cultural support and distressing psychological experiences. Theme (1) lacking social and cultural support included the following sub-themes; rejection by family and society; lack of legal support and being victims of cultural taboos. Theme (2) distressing psychological experiences included the following sub-themes; disgust in relation to sexual characteristics and gender conformity, fear, and anxiety about disclosing one’s authentic gender. In this study, a constitutive pattern emerged of “being in a different world”. Participants experienced being beaten, abused, suicidal ideation and death threats.
Conclusions
This research was carried out in a unique cultural and religious context in which government jurisprudence is implemented. In Iran, individuals with gender dysphoria require social, familial support along with legal and medical frameworks which enable access to gender affirming care. The experience of gender dysphoria is deeply influenced by cultural factors. Thus, cultural and educational interventions are required in Iran to change both attitudes and perceptions. These may include endorsement of change by law and policy makers through public and television appearances.
Individuals with gender dysphoria are exposed to greater health risks and are increasingly seeking medical care. In pursuit of gender equity and improved healthcare outcomes, this study aimed to explore the lived experiences of individuals with gender dysphoria in Iran, where the ‘traditional’ gender binary constitutes an integral aspect of Islamic social ethics.
Methods
We employed a qualitative approach using a phenomenological hermeneutic framework. Fourteen individuals with gender dysphoria were recruited to participate using purposive sampling. Face-to-face and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data, which was subsequently analysed using the seven-stages of Critical Hermeneutic Analysis.
Results
Our findings revealed how people living with gender dysphoria experienced a lack of social and cultural support and distressing psychological experiences. Theme (1) lacking social and cultural support included the following sub-themes; rejection by family and society; lack of legal support and being victims of cultural taboos. Theme (2) distressing psychological experiences included the following sub-themes; disgust in relation to sexual characteristics and gender conformity, fear, and anxiety about disclosing one’s authentic gender. In this study, a constitutive pattern emerged of “being in a different world”. Participants experienced being beaten, abused, suicidal ideation and death threats.
Conclusions
This research was carried out in a unique cultural and religious context in which government jurisprudence is implemented. In Iran, individuals with gender dysphoria require social, familial support along with legal and medical frameworks which enable access to gender affirming care. The experience of gender dysphoria is deeply influenced by cultural factors. Thus, cultural and educational interventions are required in Iran to change both attitudes and perceptions. These may include endorsement of change by law and policy makers through public and television appearances.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 646 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | BMC Psychiatry |
| Volume | 25 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jul 2025 |
Bibliographical note
This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material derived from this article or parts of it. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder.UN SDGs
This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
-
SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
Keywords
- Gender dysphoria
- Phenomenological approach
- Qualitative study
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Psychiatry and Mental health
Fingerprint
Dive into the research topics of 'Being in a different world: A phenomenological study of life with gender dysphoria'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Cite this
- APA
- Standard
- Harvard
- Vancouver
- Author
- BIBTEX
- RIS