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Vancouver Island Transgender Needs Assessment

Vancouver Island Transgender Needs Assessment. matthew heinz, phd Royal Roads University 14 January 2012. Thank you!.

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Vancouver Island Transgender Needs Assessment

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  1. Vancouver IslandTransgender Needs Assessment matthew heinz, phd Royal Roads University 14 January 2012

  2. Thank you! This study has been made possible by the generous contributions of trans participants and providers as well as the members of the Advisory Board on Vancouver Island & the members of the TransPULSE Ontario project. The support of Royal Roads University is equally appreciated. Special thanks to Research Assistants T. J. Naven and Jordan Duffy.

  3. Research Questions • What are the needs of trans individuals and communities on Vancouver Island? • From the perspective of trans individuals, to what degree are these needs being met?

  4. Study • Compiled overview of resources on island • Assembled advisory board of community members and local experts to design community-driven study • Administered survey adapted from TransPULSE Project to 54 trans participants • Conducted in-depth narrative interviews with 40 trans participants (sample overlap) • Conducted 10 interviews with providers

  5. Survey Participant Profile • All participants identify as ‘trans’ and range in age from 18 to 68 (Mean: 40) • 28 of the participants (51.85%) were assigned to the female sex at birth and identify on the transmasculine spectrum • 26 of the participants (48.10%) were assigned to the male sex at birth and identify on the transfeminine spectrum

  6. Ethnicity • 36 participants (66.60%) are of British, European, or British and European descent. • 6 participants (11.10%) are of Aboriginal descent • 5 participants (9.25%) are of East or South Asian heritage. • Reflects, broadly speaking, Vancouver Island ethnic distribution. • 62.90% live in Greater Victoria Area.

  7. Gender Identity • 33.30% identify as boy or man • 33.30% identify as girl or woman • 27.75% identify by a self-provided label • 25.90% identify as MTF • 25.90% identify as Trans Girl or Trans Woman • 25.90% identify as Trans Boy or Trans Man • 20.35% identify as FTM • 66.66% of all participants identify as the gender/sex opposite from the assigned sex; 33.34% identify with a trans-identifying label

  8. Sexual Orientation The majority (59.20%) selected more than one label to describe their sexual orientation.

  9. 26 EducationMajority (70.30%) have graduated from a college or trade school, studied at university, or graduated from university with bachelor’s or graduate degrees.

  10. Income • Majority (62.90%) have a personal income of $30,000 or less. • Income ranges from $2,500 to $150,000. • Mean: $32,415. Mode: $12,000 • Median: $22,000 • BC 2009 median income $27,970 • Average Victoria $37,065 (2006) • Transfeminine participants reported higher income

  11. Employment History Has being trans affected your employment history?

  12. Sex WorkThe majority reported not ever having done sex work or exchanged sex for money or other resources .

  13. Health Almost half of the respondents reported no (other) health conditions.

  14. Health Issues Of the 29 participants who reported health issues, they declared (11 reported more than one condition):

  15. Health Care Delivery • Majority (85.10%) have a family doctor. • The majority of those who have a regular family doctor are comfortable or very comfortable discussing their trans status and trans-specific health care needs with their doctor (87%). • Majority (75.85 percent) trust physicians mostly or completely in regard to confidentiality. • Majority (59.20 percent) would feel uncomfortable or very uncomfortable discussing their trans status and trans-specific health care needs with a doctor they did not know.

  16. Emergency Health Care Delivery • Majority (81.4%) have either not needed ER care or not avoided it due to trans status. • Of those who have sought ER care (68.51%), the majority (72.97) report not experiencing negative behaviours from ER care providers. • Almost half (45.95%) of those who have sought ER care report having had to provide education about trans issues to providers.

  17. Mental Health Care Access • Mental health care services requested most frequently for reasons other than gender identity are social worker/counselors and support groups. • Mental health care services requested most frequently for reasons related to gender identity are support groups, psychologists, and social worker/counselors.

  18. General Life Satisfaction Majority (68.45%) are either somewhat or very satisfied with their life in general.

  19. Attitudes Toward Self • On the whole, I am satisfied with myself. Agree/Strongly Agree 87% • I have a number of good qualities. Agree/Strongly Agree 96% • I am able to do things as well as others Agree/Strongly Agree 87% • I’m a person of worth equal to others. Agree/Strongly Agree 92% • I take a positive attitude toward self Agree/Strongly Agree 76% • At times I think I’m no good at all. Disagree/Strongly Disagree 63% • I don’t have much to be proud of. Disagree/Strongly Disagree 76% • I wish I could respect myself more. Agree/Strongly Agree 67% • I certainly feel useless at times Agree/Strongly Agree 56% • All in all, I feel I’m a failure. Disagree/Strongly Disagree 80% Majority consistently report positive attitudes toward self.

  20. Experience of Violence • Four participants (7.40%) have experienced physical violence and/or sexual assault due to being trans. Majority of participants (92.6%) did not. • Five participants (9.25%) have experienced physical threats due to being trans. Majority of participants (90.75%) did not. • 46.25% have experienced verbal harassment. • 77.70% have experienced silent harassment.

  21. Life After Transition Majority (86.95%) of participants have transitioned socially and/or physically and report (66.65%) that their quality of life has gotten somewhat (37.77%) or a lot (28.88%) better since.

  22. Life After Transition Participants who have transitioned report that their number of close friends has decreased (37.77%), stayed the same (37.77%) or increased (24.44%).

  23. Trans-Related Stress Majority (68.45%) find the amount of stress in their life specifically related to being trans a bit, quite a bit, or extremely stressful (micro-stressors).

  24. Social Isolation About half of the respondents (49.99%) feel socially isolated most or all of the time.

  25. Social Isolation Participants often hear that they are not normal.

  26. Community Connection How would you describe your sense of belonging to the island ‘trans community’?

  27. Community Connection How would you describe your sense of belonging to the mainland ‘trans community’?

  28. Community Connection How would you describe your sense of belonging to the online ‘trans community’?

  29. Community Connection How would you describe your sense of belonging to the international ‘trans community’?

  30. Community Connection How important is having a strong ‘trans community’ to you?

  31. Suicide63% of participants had either considered or attempted suicide.

  32. Suicide Transmasculine participants reported more occurrences

  33. Suicide 31 to 50-year olds reported most occurrences

  34. Priority Issues

  35. Priority Issues Health Care Access • Provincial, quick, affordable access to surgeries • Local access to trans medical expertise • Access to information about long-term use of hormones & trans-experienced providers • Majority had primary care providers whom they trusted

  36. Priority Issues Social Support • Physical place for current, local information & resources • Need to be able to provide support, not just receive • Support group/Community/Hotline • Social events (recreational) • Web site with current information • Social isolation characterizes experience (qual. study)

  37. Priority Issues • Social Acceptance/Public Education • Mental Health Care Access • Affordable individual therapy in timely manner • Free or affordable access to therapists with trans expertise • Group counselling • Legal Assistance • Information on how to navigate bureaucracy in regard to name change, sex designation change

  38. Next Steps • Dissemination of findings to island health educators & service providers • Pursuit of funding or partnership for centralized resource/information coordination • Community building: Up to Us

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