Research Symposium

BIO

My name is Jay Gruca, and I am a second-year psychology major at FSU. I enjoy hiking, doing landscape photography, and spending time with friends and family.

Exploring the Relation of Access to Healthcare with Gender Euphoria in Transgender Adults​ ​

Abstract

Despite increased accessibility to gender-affirming care for transgender individuals, there is insufficient research on the population’s unique needs. Current studies highlight the positive mental health impacts on transgender adults when healthcare providers promote gender euphoria (Beischel et al., 2021)​. The term gender euphoria is positive feelings experienced in relation to one's true gender (Jacobson & Devor, 2022). For transgender adults, these feelings may be experienced through gender-affirming healthcare such as hormone replacement therapy and surgical interventions (Coleman et al., 2022)​. This study aims to explore the relation of gender euphoria in transgender adults between the ages of 18-29 when receiving gender-affirming care in Florida. A qualitative phenomenological approach will be implemented to analyze the data. Snowball sampling will be employed to recruit 6 to ten participants. Interviews will be conducted via HIPAA-compliant Zoom. The aim of this study is to assess the phenomenon of gender euphoria for transgender adults in access to healthcare by addressing two research questions: “When receiving gender-affirming care in a healthcare setting, what is the nature of gender euphoria as experienced by transgender adults in Florida?” and “How do barriers to healthcare insurance (e.g., insurance, discrimination) shape experiences with gender euphoria in transgender adults?” Data will be coded into themes informing the study findings. This research will provide healthcare psychologists with interventions to increase feelings of gender euphoria for clients who are transgender. Further research is needed to better understand the prevalence of gender euphoria in transgender adults from various populations.

Keywords: healthcare, transgender, LGBTQ, Florida