Cross-sectional study of self-concept and alexithymia among Hijra community of Rohtak, Haryana

Abstract

Introduction: The Indian Hijra community encompasses persons with a variety of gender identities and sexual orientations, thus forming culturally unique gender group. The sociocultural aspects of Hijras have frequently been the subject of research by anthropologists and sociologists, but there is a dearth of data regarding the mental health problems in them. Methodology: The aim of the study was to assess the self-concept and alexithymia in Hijra community using Self-Concept Inventory and Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 Hindi. Results: The study on thirty Hijras indicated that most of the individuals of Hijra community (96.7%) have low self-concept and only one had average self-concept. While 30% of the sample was nonalexithymics, 26.7% individuals had possible alexithymia and 43.3% were alexithymics. Self-concept was seen to be negatively correlated with alexithymia among individuals of Hijra community. Conclusion: The findings can help clinicians and policymakers to focus on the mental health awareness among these individuals.

Keywords

• alexithymia
• hijra community
• self-concept
• sexuality
• society