The first report on the health of trans and non-binary people in Spain reveals that 10% have encountered professionals in the healthcare field who consider them sick
The results of the first report on the health of trans and non-binary people in Spain are clear: the majority have hidden who they are in some area of their lives for fear.
The survey Transaludes, carried out by the Carlos III Health Institute, shows that four out of ten people surveyed said that their health professionals did not know how to care for the group, and one in ten indicated that the staff who cared for them told them that being trans or non-binary is an illness.The data is devastating and we cannot accept it with indifference.", he values Paco Gonzalez, deputy director of the mental health commissioner of the Ministry of Health.
8% of trans and non-binary people do not start hormone replacement therapy because fear of rejection or health barriers. For these reasons, two-thirds of the people surveyed who have undergone gender-affirming surgery, such as facial feminization, phalloplasty or liposuction, preferred to go to private healthcare. In addition, many trans or non-binary people with vaginas have never been to a gynecological consultation.
Beyond the health field, Transaludes The study reveals that nine out of ten participants hide their gender identity in at least one aspect of their life. Furthermore, among those who have not changed their name on their ID, half have not done so for fear of rejection from their environment, for not knowing how to do the procedure or for not having the right. Regarding registered sex, it is noteworthy that only 13% of non-binary people have changed this information; one in two who have not done so say that they would change their sex if there was a third box and another 20% say they prefer to abolish the mention relating to sex.
The study consisted of a Online and anonymous survey which was answered by 1.823 trans and non-binary people from all over the country. 35% of the participants were trans men, 23% trans women and 42% non-binary people, with an average age of around 26 years.
Mental health and aggression
The Minority Stress Model, first formulated in 2003, states that people who belong to minority groups, such as those who identify with one of the acronyms LGBTQIA+Have worse mental health rates due to the discrimination they experience. The results of Transaludes are in line with this theory and show that the population surveyed suffers more than average from mental health problems, especially depression. depression It is 11 times more common in study participants than in the general population and the anxiety 16 times more likely in trans and non-binary people than in the general population.
"The data obtained on suicidal ideation and attempts are especially worrying in such a young population, and show that training the system to address the mental health of the group is not only necessary, but urgent.", Points out Maria Jose Belza, the researcher of the Carlos III Health Institute.
The study points out that the different difficulties that trans and non-binary people encounter in their transition increase their risk of suicidal ideationMedical barriers carry more danger than administrative ones: obstacles to changing one's registered name increase suicidal ideation by 26%, but barriers to surgical transition increase them by 79%.
Assaults
The study points to the fact that one of the main causes of poor mental health rates is transphobic violence or discrimination based on gender identity Nine out of ten of the people surveyed have suffered at some point in their lives. Almost half of the people surveyed have been physically assaulted at some point and, in eight out of ten of these cases, the assaults had repercussions on the health of the victims.
In addition to physical attacks, Transaludes highlights a high number of sexual assault within and outside the couple. Specifically, one in five people report having suffered an attempted or incident of rape outside the couple, a number that rises to almost one in four when asked about this type of aggression by a current or former partner.
Alex Iglesias, anthropologist and member of the team that prepared the report, highlights that the data collected reveal a number of attacks "very superior" to the number of people who finally report, and emphasizes the youth of the sample: "When we talk about violence they have received throughout their lives, we are talking about lives of 26 years on average."All this"It shows the need to develop prevention, detection and protection programs against discrimination and violence towards trans and non-binary people in all areas”, the study concludes.
Pioneering research on trans health
The team that prepared the report considers this document “clubs"to know for the first time the health status of trans and non-binary people across the country and that this demographic can"receive services tailored to their needsHowever, they have encountered obstacles in the recruitment phase of the study: the research suffered the attack by trans-exclusionary feminists, which provided 1.400 fraudulent responses in a 48-hour period.
In addition, in an open field option in the questionnaire, some of the people who provided false information took advantage of the opportunity to insult the investigation or accuse the group of pedophilia. LGBTQIA+In response to the boycott, the study team discarded all the responses given once the avalanche of fraudulent responses began and had to switch to exclusively in-person recruitment.We would have reached double the sample size if we had not been boycotted.”, he calculates Maria Jose Belza, principal investigator of the study.
