Childhood separation anxiety in Iranian adult males and females with diverse sexual orientation and gender identity/expression

ObjectiveThis research, conducted in Iran, examined whether recalled childhood separation anxiety varied with sex, sexual orientation and gender identity/expression.MethodIranian cisgender gynephilic males (n = 248), cisgender ambiphilic males (n = 104), cisgender androphilic males (n = 310), transgender androphilic males (n = 102), cisgender androphilic females (n = 234), cisgender ambiphilic females (n = 94), cisgender gynephilic females (n = 31), and transgender gynephilic females (n = 119) rated their recalled traits of childhood separation anxiety (i.e., Parent Separation and Parent Worry) between 6 and 12 years of age.ResultFor Parent Separation subscale, cisgender ambiphilic and androphilic males scored intermediate between cisgender gynephilic males and transgender androphilic males. In females, transgender gynephilic females scored lower than all other groups except cisgender gynephilic females. For Parent Worry subscale, only transgender androphilic males exhibited an elevated mean score compared to other male groups, while no between-group difference was found in females.ConclusionConsistent with previous reports, our findings from Iran indicate positive associations exist in males among recalled childhood separation anxiety, androphilic sexual orientation, and feminine gender identity/expression. In addition, this study provides evidence that recalled childhood separation anxiety is lowered in transgender gynephilic females.