Patient-Reported Outcome Measures of Transmasculine Voice: A Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Speech and Language Therapy
• Gender Studies

Background:

• Gender-affirming voice care is crucial for transmasculine individuals' self-perception.
• Voice therapy aims to improve voice-related quality of life (QOL) and participation.
• Existing patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) for this population require thorough evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review existing PROMs assessing voice-related QOL, participation, and gender congruence in transmasculine individuals.
• To identify limitations in current outcome measures and their applicability.
• To hypothesize improvements in QOL and participation following voice therapy.

Main Methods:

• A scoping review of online databases was conducted.
• Search terms included voice, speech therapy, transmasculine clients, and QOL.
• Studies were included if they reported transmasculine participants, voice therapy engagement, and at least one PROM.

Main Results:

• Five studies were included, utilizing diverse outcome measures.
• The Voice Handicap Index (VHI) showed varied results, with masculine participants reporting higher handicaps and barriers to care.
• Measures like the Utah Gender Presentation Scale for Communication (U-GPS), Communicative Participation Item Bank (CPIB), and Transsexual Voice Questionnaire Female to Male (TVQFtM) demonstrated limitations in validity and representativeness.

Conclusions:

• Current PROMs for transmasculine voice care possess limited validity and rely on small sample sizes.
• Barriers to accessing care can negatively affect participation and QOL.
• Future research should focus on prospectively validating instruments, ensuring representative samples, and developing community-informed measures.