Exploring gender euphoria in a sample of transgender and gender diverse patients at two U.S. urban community health centers

Sari L Reisner; David R Pletta; Alexander Harris; Juwan Campbell; Andrew Asquith; Dana J Pardee; Madeline B Deutsch; Rodrigo Aguayo-Romero; Meg Quint; Alex S Keuroghlian; Asa Radix

doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115541

Exploring gender euphoria in a sample of transgender and gender diverse patients at two U.S. urban community health centers

Psychiatry Res. 2023 Nov:329:115541. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115541. Epub 2023 Oct 10.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Hypertension, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; The Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].
² The Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
³ Medical Research Division, Callen-Lorde Community Health Center, New York City, NY, USA.
⁴ The Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, MA, USA.
⁵ Family and Community Medicine, University of California San Francsico, San Francisco, CA, USA.
⁶ Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Hypertension, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; The Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, MA, USA.
⁷ Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Hypertension, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
⁸ The Fenway Institute, Fenway Health, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.

PMID: 37857133
DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115541

Abstract

Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people are affected by mental health inequities. Gender euphoria-positive emotions or joy in gender-may be associated with positive mental health. Between February 2019-July 2021, we surveyed 2,165 adult TGD patients (median age = 28 years; 29.2 % people of color; 29.6 % nonbinary; 81.0 % taking hormones) evaluating gender euphoria and mental health. Overall, 35.0 % self-reported gender euphoria, 50.9 % gender dysphoria, 23.5 % alcohol misuse, and 44.5 % resilience. Gender euphoria differed by race, gender, insurance, and hormone use, and was associated with reduced gender dysphoria (adjusted Odds Ratio[aOR] = 0.58; 95 % confidence interval [95 %CI] = 0.47-0.72) and alcohol misuse (aOR = 0.75; 95 %CI = 0.60-0.95), and increased resilience (aOR = 1.31; 95 %CI = 1.07-1.61). The construct of gender euphoria may be a promising mental health target.

Keywords: Community health centers; Mental health; Minority health; Transgender.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Alcoholism*
Euphoria
Gender Identity
Humans
Mental Health
Transgender Persons* / psychology