transgender Tag
09 Nov Urban Transgender Females Likely To Get HIV Testing
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_38140" align="alignleft" width="116"]
Dr. Juarez[/caption]
Adrian Juarez, PhD, RN
Assistant Professor
The State University of New York
School of Nursing
Department of Family, Community and Health Systems Sciences
Buffalo, New York 14214
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: HIV testing is considered the initial component of HIV eradication strategies such as “seek, test, treat, and retain.” This study examines the characteristics of an urban, transgender population in western New York when volunteering for an HIV test. The use of an intersectional lens was observed in order to determine the level of influence of sexual partnership types, previous HIV and STD testing, substance use, housing status referral source and racial/gender identification on HIV testing.
17 Aug Television Storylines Influence Public’s Perception of Transgender Issues
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_36514" align="alignleft" width="150"]
Traci Gillig[/caption]
Traci K. Gillig
Doctoral Candidate
Annenberg School of Communication and
[caption id="attachment_36494" align="alignleft" width="150"]
Erica L. Rosenthal[/caption]
Erica L. Rosenthal
Senior Research Associate
Hollywood, Health & Society
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA 90211
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Time magazine declared America reached a “transgender tipping point” in 2014, with the media visibility of transgender people reaching new levels. While research has shown that entertainment shapes viewers' attitudes, no prior studies had explored the cumulative effects of exposure to media portrayals of transgender people. To address this gap, we worked with the TV show Royal Pains (USA Network) to assess how viewers’ attitudes toward transgender people and related policy issues were influenced by seeing a brief fictional portrayal of a transgender teen as well as other transgender TV characters and up until a few years ago the only transgender many had even heard of were the lady boy shows in Thailand, or shemales on shemale hd sex.
We had advance notice of the storyline through Hollywood, Health & Society (HH&S), an organization affiliated with the USC Annenberg School of Communication. HH&S serves as a free resource to the entertainment industry, providing accurate health (and other) information through consultation with subject matter experts. Royal Pains assisted us in recruiting viewers for our study through their social media accounts. A total of 391 viewers who saw the episode featuring a transgender teen participated in our study, and we supplemented this sample with Royal Pains viewers who had not seen the episode, accessed through market research panels.
Findings of our study showed that viewers who saw the Royal Pains episode featuring a transgender character had more supportive attitudes toward transgender people and related policies, compared to viewers who did not see the episode. Additionally, cumulative exposure to transgender entertainment narratives improved viewers' attitudes toward transgender people and policies. Neither exposure to transgender issues in the news nor Caitlyn Jenner’s story influenced attitudes.
Further, aligning with prior research, viewers who were more politically conservative reported more negative attitudes toward transgender people and less support for transgender-affirming policies. However, seeing multiple such storylines reduced the strength of this link by one half. Political ideology also influenced viewers’ responses to the Royal Pains episode. Those who were politically liberal were more likely to feel hope or identify with the transgender character in the episode, while those who were politically conservative were more likely to react with disgust.
21 Feb State Same-Sex Marriage Policies Associated With Reduced Adolescent Suicide Attempts
Posted at 01:32h
in Author Interviews, Gender Differences, JAMA, Johns Hopkins, Mental Health Research, Pediatrics
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Julia R.G. Raifman, ScD
Post-doctoral fellow
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Suicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents between the ages of 15 and 24 years old in the United States. Gay, lesbian, and bisexual adolescents have elevated rates of suicide attempts. In our study, we found that 29% of gay, lesbian, and bisexual adolescents reported attempting suicide in the past year relative to 6% of heterosexual adolescents.
31 Dec About 1 in 189 US Americans Identify as Transgender
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_30673" align="alignleft" width="180"]
Dr. Halley Crissman[/caption]
Halley Crissman, MD, MPH
University of Michigan
Resident Physician
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: There has been very little data on the epidemiology of the transgender population in the U.S., including basic information regarding the proportion of adults that identify as transgender. Transgender is an identity term for individuals whose gender expression and gender identity does not align with culture expectations and gender norms associated with sex assigned at birth.
Our study used data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2014 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to estimate the demographic characteristics of the U.S. adult transgender population compared to the non-transgender population. We found that 0.53% of U.S. adults identified as transgender. Transgender individuals were more likely to be non-white and below the poverty line, were less likely to attend college, and were as likely to be married, living in a rural area, and employed, compared to non-transgender individuals.
08 Nov Autistic Transgender Youth Require Specialized Support
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_29469" align="alignleft" width="135"]
Dr. John Strang[/caption]
Dr. John Strang, PsyD
Division of Pediatric Neuropsychology
Children's National Health System.
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings
Response: Gender dysphoria or transgenderism (GD) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) often co-occur. Between 9 and 25% of youth referred for gender dysphoria concerns have co-occurring ASD. Autistic transgender youth often require significant supports; their autism symptoms alone present challenges, but when combined with gender dysphoria, the clinical needs and complexities increase significantly. For example, an autism spectrum disorder, with its resulting social and communication challenges, can make it more difficult for a transgender teen to advocate for their needs around gender. Specialists from youth gender clinics from around the world have years of experience working with autistic transgender youth. This study used an international search process to identify experts in co-occurring ASD and GD. Twenty-two experts were identified and participated in this multi-stage consensus building study. A set of initial clinical guidelines for the evaluation and care of youth with co-occurring ASD and GD were produced.
15 Feb Gender Identity Is A Biologic Process
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Joshua D. Safer MD, FACP
Director, Endocrinology Fellowship Training and Endocrinology Education
Boston University Medical Center
Associate Professor of Medicine and Molecular Medicine
Boston University School of Medicine
Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Dr. Safer: This is a review of the current medical literature in favor of the biologic nature of gender identity. The main barrier to medical care for transgender patients is lack of physicians with the knowledge and willingness to provide that care. A major concern of physicians is that this is a mental health issue, meaning that transgender hormone therapy and surgery may be too drastic a response to an individual who should be counseled instead. The review lays out the evidence to make it clear that a major component of gender identity is biologic even if we don’t have the exact details worked out. Therefore, counseling alone cannot address the disconnect between transgender individuals’ gender identity and their physical bodies.