Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

NEWSMAKERS

Transgender, nonbinary youths face considerable disparities in access to health care, outcomes

A review found that transgender youths contend with feelings of gender incongruence, fear, and vulnerability in accessing health care, which are compounded by legal, economic, and social barriers.

Photo by Eneida Hoti from Unsplash.com

As it is, transgender and nonbinary youths have a higher incidence of a range of health conditions. Paradoxically, they may also face limited access to health care.

This is according to a systematic review – “Experiences and Perspectives of Transgender Youths in Accessing Health Care” by Lauren S. H. Chong, Jasmijn Kerklaan, Simon Clarke, et al – that appeared in JAMA Pediatrics.

In this review, the researchers went through 90 studies involving 884 participants aged 9 to 24 years across 17 countries were included. They then identified six themes regarding the experiences and needs of transgender youths: experiencing pervasive stigma and discrimination in health care, feeling vulnerable and uncertain in decision-making, traversing risks to overcome systemic barriers to transitioning, internalizing intense fear of consequences, experiencing prejudice undermining help-seeking efforts, and experiencing strengthened gender identity and finding allies.

This review found that transgender youths contend with feelings of gender incongruence, fear, and vulnerability in accessing health care, which are compounded by legal, economic, and social barriers.

In turn, “this can lead to disengagement from care and resorting to high-risk and unsafe interventions.”

To deal with this, the researchers suggest “improving access to gender-affirming services with a cultural humility lens and addressing sociolegal stressors” as it “may promote engagement in care, minimize the use of unsafe interventions, and improve health outcomes in this population.”

Advertisement
Advertisement

Like Us On Facebook

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

Literary Pieces

As one gets older, one thing is valued more: Honesty. "You don’t have to pretend with me," says Jaya Jaud. "Tell me the hard...

NEWSMAKERS

Debate on trans issues is polarized. One side focuses on bringing the perspectives of transgender people to the fore, particularly with respect to healthcare...

Op-Ed

Despite advancements, a troubling gap exists between high-level advocacy and community-level education. While legislative victories are celebrated, many transgender individuals remain unaware of their...

NEWSMAKERS

In observance of the Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV), Bahaghari Center for SOGIE Research, Education and Advocacy, Inc. (Bahaghari Center) launched the #ExistToResist campaign,...

Advertisement