Unveiling the Relationship Between Gait Patterns and Personality Traits in Transgender Populations

Abstract

This study examines the comparison between transgender individuals gait measurements and personality variables to evaluate their potential usefulness of forensic importance in sex determination. Footprint measurements like stride length, step length, foot length, and foot angles were used to examine the gait patterns of sixty participants which included (30 trans men and 30 trans women) from Samara and Sangama organisation, Bengaluru. Personality characteristics in Transgender individuals were profiled using the Big Five Personality Inventory (BFI). The findings revealed notable differences between transgender groups: – Gait Patterns: in trans men (60.20°) showed significantly greater foot angles compared to trans women (46.76°), between the first and second steps. Transwomen exhibited longer average foot length compared to transmen. The Personality traits indicated, that there was a significant difference in the parameters between trans men and trans women in extraversion. Whereas, transmen are more extroverted and transwomen are less extroverted. Also, in openness to experience personality trait Transmen had high openness to experience than transwomen. Neither gait characteristics nor personality characteristics alone were sufficient for inferring sex determination among transgender samples. The combination of gait and personality place a very vital role in the forensic field especially when biological samples were limited, unavailable or degraded. This study emphasizes how crucial the reflection of forensic applications plays an important role in the study of personality factors and gait patterns which would target underrepresented populations like transgender. In this research study, it is essential to prioritize on ethical issues, inclusion, and informed consent.