Stigma and Barriers in Health Care Among a Sample of Transgender and Gender-Diverse Active Duty Service Members

Transgender and/or gender-diverse (TGD) persons are vulnerable to stigma and health care inequities; however, data are particularly limited among TGD active duty military service members despite ongoing changes to service policies. TGD-related stressors may impede access to and utilization of health care due to fear of potential discrimination and distress, thereby adversely impacting military readiness.

We examined stigma and barriers in health care and associations with physical and mental health in an online sample of 177 active duty service members who self-identified as TGD. To assess associations between stigma and barriers in health care with mental and physical health, linear regressions were conducted adjusting for age, gender identity, race, and rank.

Over half (65%) of the participants reported at least 1 instance of stigma and/or barrier in health care. Stigma and barriers to health care were significantly associated with greater self-reported depressive symptoms (β=0.20, P =0.03), anxiety (β=0.21, P =0.03), stress (β=0.30, P =0.001), and poorer overall mental health (β=-0.23, P =0.007), after adjusting for covariates. Nearly one-quarter of participants had not disclosed their gender identity to their primary care clinician.

Findings suggested that stigma and barriers to affirming health care were prevalent among active duty service members identifying as TGD, specifically, difficulty accessing gender-affirming care and negative assumptions from clinicians. These experiences may adversely affect mental health and impede the quality of health care received by a population already vulnerable to health inequities. Given recent changes to military policy, efforts may be warranted to improve access to timely, affirming care and clinician training.