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. 2025 Aug;54(8):2861-2876.
doi: 10.1007/s10508-025-03233-z. Epub 2025 Sep 9.

Kin-Directed Altruism and Male Androphilia in Thailand: Investigating the Roles of Femininity and Neuroticism

Daisy Z Hu  1 , Francisco R Gómez Jiménez  1   2 , Pongpun Saokhieo  3 , Oranitcha Kaewthip  3 , Taweewat Supindham  3 , Suwat Chariyalertsak  3   4 , Doug P VanderLaan  5   6
Affiliations

Kin-Directed Altruism and Male Androphilia in Thailand: Investigating the Roles of Femininity and Neuroticism

Daisy Z Hu et al. Arch Sex Behav. 2025 Aug.

Abstract

The kin selection hypothesis (KSH) proposes that same-sex attracted individuals offset their lowered direct reproduction via kin-directed altruism that increases close genetic relatives' reproduction, thereby enhancing inclusive fitness. Retrospective research found that childhood concerns for kin's well-being are elevated among birth-assigned males who are androphilic (i.e., sexually attracted to adult males) and are positively associated with childhood femininity. This pattern is posited to be a developmental precursor of avuncular/materteral tendencies in adulthood. Also, prior research indicates that male androphiles have elevated neuroticism, which is associated positively with attachment but negatively with prosocial behavior. Thus, neuroticism may promote a developmental disposition toward kin-directed altruism while inhibiting such tendencies in adulthood. Associations between femininity, childhood concerns for kin's well-being, facets of neuroticism, and avuncular/materteral tendencies were examined in Thai individuals assigned male at birth (N = 776), including 315 heterosexual men, 232 gay men, and 229 sao praphet song (transfeminine androphiles). Avuncular/materteral tendencies were elevated among the androphilic groups in comparison with heterosexual men. Path analysis revealed that an anxiety-related facet of neuroticism and childhood femininity had indirect positive effects on avuncular/materteral tendencies through increased childhood concerns for kin's well-being. Adulthood femininity and emotional stability (which is contra to neuroticism) had direct positive effects on avuncular/materteral tendencies. The findings support the KSH, align with previous literature on developmental precursors for kin-directed altruism, and suggest that neuroticism is relevant to consider when testing this hypothesis.

Keywords: Femininity; Kin-directed altruism; Neuroticism; Separation anxiety; Sexual orientation; Thailand.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Conflict of interest: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. Ethical Approval: All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed Consent: Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study, and ethics approval was received from the University Research Ethics Board of the last author.

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