Transvestitism: socio-ethical abnormality or hormonal disorder

During recent years our country has witnessed youths who specifically tend to act like the opposite sex. It can challenge our social as well as ethical affairs. This study aimed at determining the relation between transvestitism and the level of sexual hormones in youths. This was a case-control and analytical study performed on 60 people (30 cases and 30 controls). The case group was selected by convenient sampling. The inclusion criteria comprised of undertaking acts which were at odds with the persons’ sexualities. The data gathering tool consisted of a researcher-made questionnaire. The questionnaire content and face validities were confirmed by 10 university professors. The questionnaire reliability was then measured by Cronbach's alpha (r=0.81). Blood samples were taken from both groups. The difference between the mean hormonal levels and independent T was measured in SPSS 15.0. The mean estrogen level in males was 24.67 ± 0.40 pg/ml and the mean testosterone level means was 3.85 ± 0.42 mg/ml in females. No significant relationship was observed between hormonal levels and transvestitism (p=0.123). Due to the lack of significant hormonal differences between the two groups, it can be concluded that this phenomenon is rooted in a host of sociocultural factors which raise it as an ethical controversy in society.