"It was actually my family and friends who noticed that my voice changed": An interview study on the experiences of transgender and non-binary youth and young adults three years into medical treatment.
Reidar Schei Jessen, Anne Wæhre, Linda W David, Line Indrevoll Stänicke, Erik Stänicke
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objective: As the number of transgender and non-binary (TGN) youth and young adults referred for gender-affirming medical treatment increases, there is a need to better understand how these individuals experience the interventions. The aim of the present study is to expand our understanding of how TGN youth and young adults perceive bodily changes following medical treatment as part of gender-affirming care.
Method: Ten life-mode interviews exploring individuals' everyday experiences and the meanings they attach to them were conducted with TGN youth and young adults in Norway, assigned female at birth, aged 17-22, three years after they initiated gender-affirming medical treatment to align their bodies with their gender identities. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis.
Results: Based on the analysis of the semi-structured interviews, we developed three major themes and six sub-themes: (1) A pragmatic approach to making decisions regarding medical treatment indicates that the participants are continuously weighing the risks and benefits, together with a gradual, step-by-step introduction of medical treatment. (2) Embodying medical treatment indicates that bodily changes are tangible but, over time, anchor a sense of masculinity and a sense of self as male. (3) Grounding medical treatment in everyday life indicates that bodily changes help connect the inside with the outside, with family and friends serving as sources of support and mediators of meaning, highlighting the psychosocial aspects of gender-affirming care.
Conclusion: The psychosocial aspects related to medical treatment in gender-affirming care are important vantage points for exploring the social meaning of the body and bodily changes. We therefore suggest that psychosocial aspects of gender-affirming care should be attended to and integrated alongside medical treatment.
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