Gender Rolls: The Association of Tabletop Roleplaying Games and Gender Dysphoria in Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Adults

Abstract

Research has shown that transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) adults often experience Gender Dysphoria at clinically impairing (American Psychiatric Association, 2013) and subclinical levels (Galupo et al., 2020). However, there is presently little research on interventions that target and mitigate Gender Dysphoria, especially when it presents at subclinical levels. Recently, tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) have been repurposed to be more inclusive of queer identities. This study explored the gender affirmation that may be intrinsic to TTRPGs by investigating the associations between TTRPG gameplay and Gender Dysphoria, transgender resilience, and cognitive and psychological functions (e.g., immersion, cognitive flexibility, and emotion regulation). A sample of 225 transgender and gender non-conforming adults were included in the study and participants were fairly homogenous, with most identifying as White, well-educated, and as young adults (25-34). Contrary to predictions, exposure to TTRPG gameplay was not significantly associated with increased transgender resilience nor with the investigated cognitive and psychological functions. Additionally, Gender Dysphoria did not decrease with exposure to TTRPG gameplay. However, identity pride was negatively correlated with the amount of TTRPG gameplay, suggesting that transgender individuals who experienced more pride in their gender identity spent less time playing TTRPGs. These findings suggest that significant TTRPG game play may be used to avoid gender-related distress, but not reduce it. Future directions are discussed.