<b>Exploring the Relationship</b> B <b>etween Gender-Affirming Care Delivery and Health Outcomes in Transgender and Gender-Diverse Adults: An Integrative Review</b>

Transgender Health · 2024 · 4 citations

• Sociology
• Psychology
• Medicine

Transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) adults experience significant health disparities compared with their cisgender peers. Stigma functions as a fundamental cause of health disparity in TGD communities. Stigma can be tempered by gender-affirming care (GAC), in which TGD adults receive care that validates their gender identity. There is little evidence focusing on outcomes associated with integrated GAC as an approach to care delivery. This integrative review explores the extant evidence on the relationship between integrated GAC and health outcomes in TGD adults in the United States. A comprehensive search of 4 electronic databases was conducted in May 2022. Included studies were peer reviewed, conducted in the United States from 2013 to the present, and described integrated GAC delivery for TGD adults aged 18 and older. After screening 3361 records and reviewing 135 full-text articles, 15 articles were included in this review. Articles were critically appraised, and data extraction and analysis using constant comparison were used to identify themes and relationships across studies. Synthesis suggested that GAC relates to three distinct areas of TGD adult health: physical health, mental health, and health services outcomes. GAC was associated with better overall health and improvements in HIV-related outcomes; significant decreases in mental health symptoms and suicidality; and increases in utilization, engagement, and care retention. There is moderate evidence that GAC delivery is associated with positive health outcomes for TGD adults. This integrative review provides empirical and theoretical support for integrated GAC delivery as an approach to improve health and address stigma-related barriers to care.

Social networks of LGBT older adults: An integrative review.

Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity · 2022 · 36 citations

• Psychology
• Gerontology
• Social psychology

Social support and wellbeing of LGBT adults: An application of the Convoy Model of Social Relations

2021 · 1 citations

• Sociology
• Computer Science
• Social psychology

This dissertation aims to explore the relationship between social support and social and psychological wellbeing in the adult population of sexual and gender minorities, or Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) adults. We apply Antonucci’s (1987) Convoy Model of Social Relations as a lens through which to conceptualize social support across four dimensions: structure, function, quality, and closeness. Chapter One contains an introduction to the LGBT adult population; a description of the Convoy Model of Social Relations and of technology used to exchange social support; and an outline of the specific aims addressed in this dissertation. Chapter Two is an integrative review of literature about social support networks of LGBT older adults age 50 years and older. Chapter Three is a study designed to investigate relationships between LGBT identity, social support characteristics, the use of online social communication, and psychological and social wellbeing. Chapter Four is a qualitative descriptive study that explores LGBT older adults’ attitudes, perceptions, and uses of technology for social connectedness and support during COVID-19. Chapter Five contains a synthesis of all findings in this dissertation; a discussion of the results as they relate to the Convoy Model of Social Relations; and implications for clinical interventions and future research.