Effects of Medical and Social Transition on Health and Well-Being: A Sociological Study Among Transgender Females in Odisha

International Journal of Humanities and Social Science

© 2024 by SSRG - IJHSS Journal

Volume 11 Issue 3

Year of Publication : 2024

Authors : Nibedita Dubey, Manosmita Mahapatra

10.14445/23942703/IJHSS-V11I3P101

How to Cite?

Nibedita Dubey, Manosmita Mahapatra, "Effects of Medical and Social Transition on Health and Well-Being: A Sociological Study Among Transgender Females in Odisha," SSRG International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, vol. 11,  no. 3, pp. 1-7, 2024. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.14445/23942703/IJHSS-V11I3P101

Abstract:

The study seeks to focus on the most discriminated and stigmatized community of transgender females suffering from various intriguing issues, including economic, psychological and especially health and well-being. They stand deprived and marginalized and continue to exist as victims of domination from society's point of view. The scenario of transgender in Odisha is also seen from gender dysphonia or gender incongruence and identity disorder perspective, and situating transgender females in the modern context of their acceptance to the larger society becomes a challenge in the contemporary era. Taking 150 respondents as its sample size through snowball sampling, the study is carried out utilizing both primary and secondary sources of data collection in two districts of Odisha. Moreover, information regarding their type of gender transition and the methods they used, views regarding their self-satisfaction and its effect on their health and social relations were also emphasized to reveal the effects of medical and social transition on health and well-being. It helps to understand the issues of marginalization, identity, medical therapy and the effects of medical and social transition on them, highlighting the intra-community life experience and human relationships from the point of view of transgender individuals. It is observed from the study that medical transition helps to treat gender dysphoria and body dissatisfaction among transgender female, affecting their rate of social acceptance. The socially transitioned transgender females have higher self-confidence and positive feelings after the social transition. Hence, gender transition could be considered as healthy and acceptable to treat gender dysphoria but not sufficient to increase the acceptability of transgender within society.

Keywords:

Health, Social transition, Transgender female, Medical, Self-confidence.

References:

[1] Siti Nur Afiqah, Abdul Rashid, and Yufu Iguchi, “Transition Experiences of the Malay Muslim Trans Women in Northern Region of Malaysia: A Qualitative Study,” Dialogues in Health, vol. 1, 2022.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[2] Tiffiny A. Ainsworth, and Jeffrey H. Spiegel, “Quality of Life of Individuals with and without Facial Feminization Surgery or Gender Reassignment Surgery,” Quality of Life Research, vol. 19, pp. 1019-1024, 2010.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[3] Madison Aitken et al., “Self-Harm and Suicidality in Children Referred for Gender Dysphoria,” Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, vol. 55, no. 6, pp. 513-520, 2016.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[4] Zoë Aldridge et al., “Long-Term Effect of Gender-Affirming Hormone Treatment on Depression and Anxiety Symptoms in Transgender People: A Prospective Cohort Study,” Andrology, vol. 9, no. 6, pp. 1808-1816, 2021.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[5] Danyon Anderson et al., “Gender Dysphoria and its Non-Surgical and Surgical Treatments,” Health Psychology Research, vol. 10, no. 3, 2022.
[CrossRef] [Publisher Link]
[6] Louis Bailey, Sonja J. Ellis, and Jay McNeil, “Suicide Risk in the UK Trans Population and the Role of Gender Transition in Decreasing Suicidal Ideation and Suicide Attempt,” Mental Health Review Journal, vol. 19, no. 4, pp. 209-220, 2014.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[7] Joseph H. Bonifacio et al., “Management of Gender Dysphoria in Adolescents in Primary Care,” Canadian Medical Association Journal, vol. 191, no. 3, pp. E69-E75, 2019.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[8] Danielle T. Cipres, Jessica Y. Shim, and Frances W. Grimstad, “Postoperative Vaginal Bleeding Concerns after Gender-Affirming Hysterectomy in Transgender Adolescents and Young Adults on Testosterone,” Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, vol. 36, no. 1, pp. 33-38, 2023.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[9] Kate Cooper et al., “The Phenomenology of Gender Dysphoria in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Synthesis,” Clinical Psychology Review, vol. 80, 2020.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[10] Cecilia Dhejne et al., “Long-Term Follow-Up of Transsexual Persons Undergoing Sex Reassignment Surgery: Cohort Study in Sweden,” PloS One, vol. 6, no. 2, 2011.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[11] Lily Durwood, Katie A. McLaughlin, and Kristina R. Olson, “Mental Health and Self-Worth in Socially Transitioned Transgender Youth,” Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, vol. 56, no. 2, pp. 116-123, 2017.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[12] Tabitha Frew, Clare Watsford, and Iain Walker, “Gender Dysphoria and Psychiatric Comorbidities in Childhood: A Systematic Review,” Australian Journal of Psychology, vol. 73, no. 3, pp. 255-271, 2021.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[13] Garima Garg, Ghada Elshimy, and Raman Marwaha, Gender Dysphoria, StatPearls Publishing, 2023. [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link] [14] Philip Graham, “Transgender Children and Young People: How the Evidence can Point the Way Forward,” Bangladesh Journal of Psychiatric Bulletin, vol. 47, no. 2, pp. 98-104, 2023.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[15] Jaclyn M.W. Hughto et al., “Social and Medical Gender Affirmation Experiences Are Inversely Associated with Mental Health Problems in a U.S. Non-Probability Sample of Transgender Adults,” Archives of Sexual Behavior, vol. 49, pp. 2635-2647, 2020.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[16] Laura E. Kuper et al., “Body Dissatisfaction and Mental Health Outcomes of Youth on Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy,” Pediatrics, vol. 145, no. 4, 2020.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[17] Emilia Lombardi, “Varieties of Transgender/Transsexual Lives and their Relationship with Transphobia,” Journal of Homosexuality, vol. 56, no. 8, pp. 977-992, 2009.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[18] Lima Martins K et al., “312 - Urinary, Bowel and Sexual Function of Transgender Women after Sex Reassignment Surgery Vaginoplasty: Cross-Sectional study,” Continence, vol. 7, 2023.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[19] Ilan H. Meyer, and David M. Frost, 18 Minority Stress and the Health of Sexual Minorities, Handbook of Psychology and Sexual Orientation, Oxford Academic, pp. 252-266, 2012.
[CrossRef] [Publisher Link]
[20] James S. Morandini et al., “Is Social Gender Transition Associated with Mental Health Status in Children and Adolescents with Gender Dysphoria?,” Archives of Sexual Behavior, vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 1045-1060, 2023.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[21] S. Nanjundaswamy, “An Anthropological Study of Male to Female Transsexuals in Mysore and Bangalore Cities, Karnataka, India,” Sodhganga, 2014.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[22] Serena Nanda, Neither Man Nor Woman: The Hijras of India, Wadsworth Publishing Company, pp. 1-170, 1990.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[23] Kristina R. Olson et al., “Gender Identity 5 Years after Social Transition,” Pediatrics, vol. 150, no. 2, 2022.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[24] Kristina R. Olson et al., “Mental Health of Transgender Children who are Supported in their Identities,” Pediatrics, vol. 137, no. 3, 2016.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[25] Nikolaos A. Papadopulos et al., “Quality of Life and Patient Satisfaction Following Male-to-Female Sex Reassignment Surgery,” The Journal of Sexual Medicine, vol. 14, no. 5, pp. 721-730, 2017.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[26] Annie Pullen Sansfaçon et al., “Blossoming Child, Mourning Parent: A Qualitative Study of Trans Children and their Parents Navigating Transition,” Journal of Child and Family Studies, vol. 31, no. 7, pp. 1771-1784, 2022.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[27] Shoshana Rosenberg, P.J. Matt Tilley, and Julia Morgan, “I Couldn’t Imagine My Life without It”: Australian Trans Women’s Experiences of Sexuality, Intimacy, and Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy,” Sexuality & Culture, vol. 23, pp. 962-977, 2019.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[28] Rafael B. Santos, Carolina Lemos, and Miguel Saraiva, “Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy: Physical and Sociopsychological Effects, Impact and Satisfaction,” Cureus, vol. 15, no. 3, pp. 1-11, 2023.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[29] Elisabeth DC Sievert et al., “Not Social Transition Status, but Peer Relations and Family Functioning Predict Psychological Functioning in a German Clinical Sample of Children with Gender Dysphoria,” Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 79-95, 2021.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[30] Diana M. Tordoff et al., “Mental Health Outcomes in Transgender and Nonbinary Youths Receiving Gender-Affirming Care,” JAMA Network Open Journal, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 1-13, 2022.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[31] Jack L. Turban et al., “Correction: Access to Gender-Affirming Hormones during Adolescence and Mental Health Outcomes among Transgender Adults,” Plos One, vol. 18, no. 6, 2023.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[32] Jack L. Turban et al., “Timing of Social Transition for Transgender and Gender Diverse Youth, K-12 Harassment, and Adult Mental Health Outcomes,” Journal of Adolescent Health, vol. 69, no. 6, pp. 991-998, 2021.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[33] G. Weinforth et al., “Quality of Life Following Male-To-Female Sex Reassignment Surgery,” Deutsches Arzteblatt International, vol. 116, no. 15, pp. 253-260, 2019.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[34] Jaclyn M. White Hughto et al., “Barriers to Gender Transition-Related Healthcare: Identifying Underserved Transgender Adults in Massachusetts,” Transgender Health, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 107-118, 2017.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[35] Katrien Wierckx et al., “Quality of Life and Sexual Health After Sex Reassignment Surgery in Transsexual Men,” The Journal of Sexual Medicine, vol. 8, no. 12, pp. 3379-3388, 2011.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[36] Berna Özata Yildizhan et al., “Effects of Gender Reassignment on Quality of Life and Mental Health in People with Gender Dysphoria,” Turkish Journal of Psychiatry, vol. 29, no. 1, pp. 11-21, 2018.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[37] Michael Zaliznyak et al., “How Early in Life Do Transgender Adults Begin to Experience Gender Dysphoria? Why this Matters for Patients, Providers, and for our Healthcare System,” Sexual Medicine, vol. 9, no. 6, pp. 1-8, 2021.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]