A Comparison of Health-Related Quality of Life Among Transgender Adults in the United States

ABSTRACT

Few studies exist that examine within-group differences of the transgender population. This paper aims to assess differences in sociodemographic characteristics and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among transgender men (TM), transgender women (TW), and transgender gender nonconforming (TGNC) individuals in the United States. Data were pooled from the 2014–2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Chi-square tests and weighted multivariable logistic regression models investigated differences in HRQoL by gender identity and separately identified predictors of HRQoL in these groups. Overall, TGNC individuals self-reported worse general health than TW or TM. TW and TGNC individuals who also identified as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) had higher odds of reporting frequent mental distress compared to their heterosexual counterparts. Race/ethnicity, education, and employment also emerged as predictors of HRQoL. Findings support the need to disaggregate these subpopulations of transgender individuals to address the unique needs of each subgroup.

KEYWORDS:

• Transgender
• gender nonconforming
• intersectionality
• health-related quality of life
• mental health
• health disparities
• risk factors

Acknowledgments

This work was partially supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (T32MH094174).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.