Experiences of gender incongruence and the relationship between social exclusion, psychological distress, and dysfunction among South African transgender adults: A field-study for ICD-11.

Background: The classification of sexuality-related conditions and conditions relating to transgender identity has generated controversy. Growing evidence suggests that the distress and dysfunction reported by transgender individuals is more likely associated with social exclusion, stigmatization, and violence than as a result of gender incongruence per se. Our study aimed to explore the experiences of South African transgender individuals through: 1) their self-reported accounts of gender incongruence, and 2) associations between their experiences of social exclusion and violence, and their reports of psychological distress and dysfunction during adolescence.