A Content Analysis of Literature on Trans People and Issues

Abstract

This study provides a content analysis of more than a decade (2002–2012) of academic scholarship about trans people and issues. A total of 960 trans-focused publications were coded; there was a close balance of nonempirical (54%) and empirical (46%) publications. The analyses revealed that the literature on trans people and issues is growing, although many publications include trans people and issues nominally without substantive attention. The analyses also pointed to underutilized research designs and methodologies, the need for more clear assessment and more consistent reporting of demographic characteristics, and topics that warrant further attention. Specifically, literature on trans people and issues continues to be needed on the topics of focus thus far, such as psychological and identity-related distress. Scholarship is also needed to address important topics that have been understudied, including self-harm and suicide, positive functioning and mental health promoting factors, developmental issues across the life span, school and workplace experiences, and the training and competencies of health care providers to ensure affirmative and effective services for trans people.

Transactional pathways of transgender identity development in transgender and gender-nonconforming youth and caregiver perspectives from the Trans Youth Family Study

“…Another limitation is that the existing body of research is based primarily on the experiences of transgender individuals with a White race/ethnicity (Moradi et al, 2016); little is known about transgender identity development among transgender individuals of color. Transgender identity development not only occurs in relation to one’s authentic self, but also in relation to one’s social sphere (Levitt & Ippolito, 2014).…”

The Intersection of Race, Sexual Orientation, Socioeconomic Status, Trans Identity, and Mental Health Outcomes

“…Although there has been an increase in empirical and non-empirical scholarship related to trans identity in recent years (Moradi et al, 2016 [this issue]), little attention has focused on the other multiple identities held by trans individuals. Many empirical studies with trans individuals either report small numbers of racial and ethnic minority participants (if race or ethnicity is reported at all), do not assess sexual orientation adequately, or do not take into account the socioeconomic status (SES) of the participants (see Moradi et al, 2016). As a result, the literature on trans identity has largely focused on a single dimension of identity rather than the interrelatedness of multiple dimensions of identity, providing a limited view of the experiences of many within trans populations.…”

Pretreatment counseling experiences, stressors, and support differences between transgender and cisgender university students seeking mental healthcare

“…One of the criticisms that has emerged in the literature is that therapists tend to assume that identifying as transgender involves heightened risk and distress compared to cisgender individual. However, such assumptions reflect an all‐to‐frequent, overgeneralized assertion that all transgender clients endure the same psychological distress (Moradi et al, ; Tebbe & Moradi, ). More research is needed to challenge these assumptions and understand the pretreatment stressors that influence transgender clients.…”