Attachment Styles in Sufferers of Gender Identity Disorder in Fars Province in 2014

Background: Gender identity disorder (GID) is considered as a very complicated clinical case and there are usually various variables in the inside-family-communication atmosphere. Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine attachment styles in people with GID and compare them with normal people in Fars province, Iran. Materials and Methods: This case-control study with accessible sampling was conducted in Fars province, Iran, in 2014 using 60 visitors to the Fars province forensics head office who had been diagnosed as having GID by the commission of psychology (the case group) and 204 individuals in dispose, whom psychologists diagnosed as having no psychological disorder and in synchronization with the sample group (controls). The demographic questionnaire and Collins and Read attachment style questionnaires were used in both groups. Data were collected and then analyzed using the SPSS software version 18, Kormogrov Smirnov’s normality test and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. A significance level of P < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: Findings showed that the highest frequency (71%) in terms of secure attachment and the lowest frequency (0%) in terms of avoidant attachment were observed in patients with GID who had been operated and the highest frequency of avoidant attachment (62.1%) and the lowest frequency of secure attachment (0%) were observed in patients with GID who had not been operated. Conclusions: According to the findings of this study, GID patients who have been operated are more secure in attachment styles than those who have not been operated, and there is a significant correlation between age, education and gender with attachment style among these individuals.