Masculine Voices Predict Well-Being in Female-to-Male Transgender Individuals

Watt, Seth O.; Tskhay, Konstantin O.; Rule, Nicholas O.

doi:10.1007/s10508-017-1095-1

Cited by 45 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 87 publications

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“…This incongruence is a source of extreme distress, which is associated with higher levels of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and suicidal ideation and attempts among the transgender population-particularly those that have not begun to transition 5,7,9,[65][66][67][68] . Receiving hormone treatment significantly improves mental health, social health, and physical health outcomes in transgender populations 2,7,9,66 . Vocal congruence contributes to these improvements; Watt et al 2 showed that more masculine voices significantly contributed to improved well-being and mental health in female-to-male transgender patients.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Testosterone therapy masculinizes speech and gender presentation in transgender men

Hodges‐Simeon

Grail

Albert

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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Voice is one of the most noticeably dimorphic traits in humans and plays a central role in gender presentation. Transgender males seeking to align internal identity and external gender expression frequently undergo testosterone (T) therapy to masculinize their voices and other traits. We aimed to determine the importance of changes in vocal masculinity for transgender men and to determine the effectiveness of T therapy at masculinizing three speech parameters: fundamental frequency (i.e., pitch) mean and variation (fo and fo-SD) and estimated vocal tract length (VTL) derived from formant frequencies. Thirty transgender men aged 20 to 40 rated their satisfaction with traits prior to and after T therapy and contributed speech samples and salivary T. Similar-aged cisgender men and women contributed speech samples for comparison. We show that transmen viewed voice change as critical to transition success compared to other masculine traits. However, T therapy may not be sufficient to fully masculinize speech: while fo and fo-SD were largely indistinguishable from cismen, VTL was intermediate between cismen and ciswomen. fo was correlated with salivary T, and VTL associated with T therapy duration. This argues for additional approaches, such as behavior therapy and/or longer duration of hormone therapy, to improve speech transition.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Testosterone therapy masculinizes speech and gender presentation in transgender men

Hodges‐Simeon

Grail

Albert

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It has been reported that more congruent voice features predict greater psychosocial wellbeing. 10 Watt et al 10 reported a mean a-TVQ FtM score of 40 in individuals receiving hormone therapy for an average of 15 months. In a long-term follow-up study by Bultynck et al 9 , improved a-TVQ FtM scores were reported in all three subscales (factor 1:14.28 ± 6.20, factor 2:12.20 ± 6.08, and factor 3:16.88 ± 6.58, respectively).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Voice-related Outcomes after Long-Term Androgen Treatment in Trans Males

Şirin

Polat

2020

Kocaeli Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri Dergisi

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Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate voice-related outcomes of long-term androgen treatment in trans male individuals. Methods: Trans male individuals who were under hormone treatment for at least one year were evaluated. Self-Perception of Voice Masculinity (SPVM) scale, adapted Transsexual Voice Questionnaire for trans males (a-TVQ FtM), Voice-related Quality of Life (V-RQOL), and the mean fundamental frequency (f0) were used to assess voice outcomes. Results: Of the thirteen trans male individuals in this study, the mean age was 26.15 years. The median SPVM was 4, which equated to "somewhat male". The median f0 was 119 Hz and did not differ from Turkish cisgender male normative data. The median a-TVQ FtM scores showed a decreasing trend and the median V-RQOL scale scores showed an increasing trend in accordance with the decrease of median f0 scores. Two individuals were within a gender ambiguous f0 range and a failure rate of 15.4% was observed. Of these two individuals who were still within a gender ambiguous f0 range, one perceived his voice as gender neutral, while the other one perceived his voice as very male. Conclusion: Cross-sex hormone treatment was largely effective in voice masculinization for trans male individuals seeking treatment. Its pitch lowering effect is associated with a significant improvement in the voice-related quality of life of trans individuals, especially in vocal identity. In some cases, a cisgender male frequency may not be achieved. This situation should be evaluated with caution when discussing treatment outcomes and the necessity of additional interventions.

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“…As the main therapeutic target is to achieve the vocal quality that the trans individual desires and will be satisfied with, how they perceive their own voice should also be evaluated at the beginning of the gender affirming treatment process, together with F0. Watt et al [17] reported that a perception of their own voice as masculine in character lead to trans-males gaining a greater sense of psychosocial well-being. A decrease in F0 lead to a perception of the voice as more masculine in character, and, for most trans-males, it is important to be recognized as male by the community.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association between Subjective and Objective Voice Masculinity in Hormone Naïve Trans Male Individuals

Şirin¹,

Polat²

2019

ENT Updates

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Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the association between subjective and objective masculine vocal quality in hormone-naïve trans-male individuals. Methods: Twenty-seven hormone-naïve trans-male individuals were recruited for the study. All the study participants had applied to undergo the gender transition process and been referred to the Voice Clinic. The Self-Perception of Voice Masculinity (SPVM) scale and the mean fundamental frequency (F0) were used to assess any association between subjective and objective vocal masculinity. Results: The mean age of study participants was 25.3 years. The median F0 lay within the normal limits for cisgender females. However, in 12 out of 27 cases, F0 lay within the gender-ambiguous frequency range. SPVM scores were higher in this ambiguous group, a result with a strong tendency toward statistical significance (p=0.053). A moderate negative correlation between SPVM and F0 scores was observed (r=-0.484, p=0.027). The smoking frequency was high, with 77.8% of individuals in the group as a whole being smokers. Not only were F0 values of smokers lower than those of non-smokers, but their SPVM scores were also higher. Conclusion: The findings from this study indicate that diversity in objective and subjective voice parameters exists even within the hormone naïve period. There appear to be several factors which influence F0 to a significant extent. Accordingly, a more comprehensive approach is called for when assessing transgender voice at all stages of the gender-affirming medical treatment process. The high frequency of smoking amongst the trans-male population should also be noted as it constitutes a serious health hazard.

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Masculine Voices Predict Well-Being in Female-to-Male Transgender Individuals

Cited by 45 publications

References 87 publications

Testosterone therapy masculinizes speech and gender presentation in transgender men

Testosterone therapy masculinizes speech and gender presentation in transgender men

Voice-related Outcomes after Long-Term Androgen Treatment in Trans Males

Association between Subjective and Objective Voice Masculinity in Hormone Naïve Trans Male Individuals

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