Transgender Health: A Review and Guidance for Future Research—Proceedings from the Summer Institute at the Center for Research on Health and Sexual Orientation, University of Pittsburgh

Abstract

This article reports on the outcome of the Summer Institute on Transgender Health Research held July 24-26, 2008, at the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The institute attendees included a panel of experts in the field of transgender research. The goals of the institute were to provide an opportunity to learn more about transgender health research, to foster a dialogue among experts on transgender health issues, and to come to a consensus on what is needed to move the field forward. The scope of existing research on the transgender population is limited. While more research is needed on the known health problems of HIV/AIDS, substance use, and mental health, there is also a need to focus on other health issues, such as cardiovascular health, that are important to trans/gender-variant people. Participants identified a need to examine how societal discrimination can create a syndemic process that will affect multiple health disparities.

A comparison of health disparities among transgender adults in Colorado (USA) by race and income

“…Transgender individuals who lack stable employment and income are less likely to have health insurance or access to quality health care (Grant et al, 2011;Shipherd et al, 2010;Spicer, 2010); they are also more likely to live in poverty, be homeless, and engage in sex work or other work in the street economy (Bockting, Robinson, & Rosser, 1998;Lombardi, 2010;Spicer, 2010). Such factors place an already marginalized population at increased risk for a diverse range of poor health outcomes (Edelman et al, 2015;Grant et al, 2011;White Hughto et al, 2015).…”

The Lived Experiences of Transgender Persons: A Meta-Synthesis

“…Moreover, transgender people tend to experience discrimination, stigmatization, physical and mental violence, psychological distress, and physical health problems (de Lind van Wijngaarden, Schunter, & Iqbal, 2012;Khan et al, 2009;Sausa, Keatley, & Operario, 2007). According to Lombardi (2011), transgender persons encounter not only abuse, discrimination, and barriers to receiving health care, but are also vulnerable to developing substance abuse problems and HIV infection.…”

Barriers to healthcare for transgender individuals

“…Transgender women (Male to Female, MTF) are internationally recognized as a population group that carries a disproportionate burden of HIV infection, with a worldwide HIV prevalence of 20% (5). A US sample of 1093 transgender persons demonstrated a high prevalence of clinical depression (44.1%), anxiety (33.2%), and somatization (27.5%) (6). In the largest national transgender survey to date (n= 6,456), 30% of the respondents reported current smoking (1.5x the rate of the general population), 26% reported current or former alcohol or drug use to cope with mistreatment, and 41% report having attempted suicide (26x higher than the general population) (7).…”