Considerations for Culturally Sensitive Research With Transgender Adults: A Qualitative Analysis

Abstract

Transgender (trans) individuals have historically been left out of research, and previous work has often conflated gender identity with sexual orientation. Furthermore, language used in psychology measures is often heteronormative and uses binary gendered language (e.g., “him”/“her”). The aim of the current study was to provide empirically derived guidance on conducting culturally sensitive research with transgender participants using qualitative data. We recruited trans individuals, ages 18 to 44, to participate in an anonymous, qualitative, national online survey as part of a quantitative study on the relationships among minority stress, sexual behavior, and mental health. The qualitative portion included four open-ended feedback questions. We identified four overarching themes regarding experiences with our survey: (a) emotional reaction; (b) insight gained; (c) being outside the box; and (d) value of the work. Research with trans adults should be more inclusive of diverse gender identities, sexual identities, and sexual behaviors. Steps in this direction may include soliciting feedback from community members regarding survey language and response options, allowing participants to contextualize their responses using open-ended questions, and clarifying language to distinguish between sexual behavior and sexual identity. A list of seven preliminary guidelines was proposed to aid scientists in conducting culturally sensitive research with trans individuals.

Funding

Data collection and manuscript preparation was supported by the Kinsey Institute Student Research Grant, the University of Washington Psychology Bolles Fellowship and the APAGS Basic Psychological Science Research Grant (PI: Jennifer Staples, MS), in addition to a training grant from the National Institute for Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (T32AA07455 PI: Mary Larimer, PhD).

Supplementary material

Supplementary material for this article can be found on the publisher’s website.

Additional information

Funding

Data collection and manuscript preparation was supported by the Kinsey Institute Student Research Grant, the University of Washington Psychology Bolles Fellowship and the APAGS Basic Psychological Science Research Grant (PI: Jennifer Staples, MS), in addition to a training grant from the National Institute for Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (T32AA07455 PI: Mary Larimer, PhD).