Honors Projects

Abstract

Gender dysphoria is a psychological condition characterized by distress or discomfort because of a disparity between a person's gender identity and the sex assigned at birth. The project’s goal was to find the relationship between voice and gender dysphoria using a case study approach with a small group of transgender, gender non-conforming, and gender fluid individuals using quantitative data and informal qualitative analysis. Four participants completed quantitative surveys that assessed their voice-related quality of life, and their speech was analyzed. In addition, qualitative interviews were conducted to contextualize participants' experiences with their voices and gender dysphoria. According to the findings and data analysis, participants with higher levels of voice-related gender dysphoria reported more negative impacts on their quality of life, and this was especially prevalent in the social-emotional domain for some participants. Acoustic analyses showed that some participants' mean fundamental frequencies (F0) were higher than the average for their self-identified gender, while others' F0s were in the expected range. The qualitative analysis of the interviews gave insight into the participants' experiences, which emphasized the importance of personal identity and societal expectations of voice and gender dysphoria. Overall, the finding suggests that voice-related gender dysphoria is a complex experience that needs an understanding of individual experiences as they walk through life.

Department

Communication Sciences and Disorders

Major

Communication Sciences and Disorders

First Advisor

Dr. Jason Whitfield

First Advisor Department

Communication Sciences and Disorders

Second Advisor

Dr. Jeanelle Sears

Second Advisor Department

Social Work

Publication Date

Spring 4-24-2023

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