1. RESULTS Responders percentage DISCUSSION SELF-HELP GROUP FOR G.I.D. SUBJECTS: a semi-structured interview M. Molo, M. Gentile, C. Crespi Ce.R.Ne – Research Centre in Neuroscience Turin – Italy INTRODUCTION There is a growing interest in the evaluation of self- help groups. Research actually is concerned with many scenarious, including definition of evaluable outcomes and planning of studies for the identification of fundamental components of the intervention model used and cost efficacy analysis. This paper shows the experience of the Consultorio di Sessuologia at the Mauriziano Umberto I Hospital and in Ce.R.Ne (Turin- Italy) with the self-help group for G.I.D. subjects. THE AIM OF THE STUDY To investigate the role and the importance of the group during the cross-gender process and Real Life Test in subjects’ personal experience. THE SAMPLE Is composed of ten G.I.D. subjects regularly attending the meeting of the self-help group during the program for Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS) Table 1. Socio-demographic and clinical features of the sample. MATERIALS AND METHODS It was administered a semi-structured inteview. The interview consists of eight questions about personal opinions and experiences, interpersonal relationship and possible suggestions concerning the group. THE INTERVIEW DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION These results show self-help group experience as an important step for G.I.D. subjects in different fields. First of all: self esteem and consciousness increase in subjects attending the group thanks mutual encouragement in facing difficulties related to Real Life Test period. Group also underlines and legitimates the possibility of be different subjects with different features even if with the same disease. A second important aspect seems to be the relationship area. Group experience helps subjects in being more sure and hopeful in social relationship. Group also in increases social skills and copying strategies. Last, the group helps subjects in developing a kind of “social awareness” making transexual people more conscious about rights and duties and developing the need of not to hide themselves. In conclusion self help group seems to be a usefull instrument to increase G.I.D. subjects’ quality of life during R.L.T. period. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors want to thank people attending the group in these years for their entusiasm and interest in taking part in this study and for a lot of things about every-day life they taught us. REFERENCES 1.Segal SP, Redman D., Silverman C., Misuring clients ‘ satisfaction with self-help agencies. Psychiatric Services, 2000, 51, 1148-1152. 2.P.Perozzo, S.Morrone., C.Crespi, P.Cantafio “ANALISI DI UN’ ESPERIENZA: IL GRUPPO DI AIUTO- AIUTO PER TRANSESSUALI DELL’OSPEDALE MAURIZIANO DI TORINO” In: “RIVISTA DI SCIENZE SESSUOLOGICHE” – Vol. XI° n. 3 Settembre- Dicembre 1998 pag. 31 – 36. SECTION n. 1: PERSONAL EXPERIENCE.Thinking at your experience in the group, what do you the most important aspects describing your attendance at the group? In which moments, during the period of your group attendance, did you feel more (and in which less) understood and accepted? SECTION n. 2: INTERPERSONAL RELATIOSHIP.How do you can describe the atmosphere found among the people you met in the group in these months? Which aspects, in your opinion, contributed to improve a good atmosphere among the people attending the group and which contributed to hinder? SECTION n. 3: COMMENTS ON THE GROUP.How do you value the experience of the group about aims and methods?.Can you explain the group point of strenght and of weakness and why? SECTION n. 4: PROPOSALS.What would you change of the group and how would you improve its efficacy?.In conclusion, what would you say, as a suggestion, to a person coming in the group for the first time? SECTION n. 1: PERSONAL EXPERIENCE All the subjects underline the possibility to know and compare themselves with other transsexual people as the most important fact of the group experience but not all of them give to it the same meaning. 3 subjects, in fact, underline diversities with other people rather than similarities in living their transexual condition. Interviewed people feel less understood as they show different opinions from the majority of the group. On the other side people attending the group feel more comprehension when they speake about common social problems related with the transsexual condition. Only one subject thinks the group never understood him. He refers, however, he always found psychologists’ listening and comprehension. SECTION n. 2: INTERPERSONAL RELATIOSHIP People attending the group agree in underlining that the atmosphere during group meetings changed each time depending on the emotional impact of the issues spoken about. In general subjects underline that, at the beginnig of their group meeting attendance, they felt a more tense atmophere but their perception of the atmosphere changed during the period they attended the group in a very positive way when their knowledge increased. People knowledge seems to be a key factor in encouraging a good atmosphere among group members. Another key factor seems to be the hopes of each person about group role in their lives. The more these hopes became clear, the more people feel a good atmosphere in the group. Key factors in hindering a good atmosphere in the group: 1)the competition sometimes perceived among people attending the group and 2)their difference of age. SECTION n. 3: COMMENTS ON THE GROUP Everybody underlines group attendance like a very positive experience. Some subjects thougth group meeting more satisfactory than psychotherapy for the support they received and things they learn. All the subjects explain how group attendance tought them to understand different opinions and to learn new solutions for common problems. The strenght of the group is identified by everybody with the possibility of listen to the other transsexual people and how they live their condition. In particular is absolutely usefull, for people attending the group, to meet persons in different points of R.L.T. transition process. Few subjects underline as a group point of force the possibility to meet psychologists at the group as a continuity element in relationship with the equipe of care operators. When a low number of subjects attends the group there is sometimes the risk that only one person monopolizes the attention in the meeting. SECTION n. 4: PROPOSALS All the Subjects answered to the question of this section putting attention on the issue of the social visibility of the group. Subjects underline their need to increase group visibility in the hospital, also with logistic choices about the meeting room and the timetable. Some subjects suggest 2 specific meeting, once a mounth, for MtF and FtM people plus the common meeting in order to give more space in discussion to different aspects related to the two different forms of transsexualism. Subjects underline it’s very difficult to start attending the group at the beginning because new members can feel themselves inadequate and inhibit. Someone suggests to make obligatory the attendance for a brief period at the beginning; later on people can be free to decide about its group attendance. In his words: “new members could stay without saying a word in the meeting only listening to the other people”.