Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

The lives of many transgender (trans) youth include experiences of social stigma, discrimination, rejection, and violence, which negatively impact overall health. Previous research has documented discrimination in health care settings, as well as connections between health care access and health outcomes for trans individuals. Research generating greater understanding of social determinants impacting the health of trans youth is needed to inform policies and programs to promote health and wellbeing. The Canadian Trans Youth Health Survey was conducted to develop an understanding of transgender youth health issues, through examination of physical health, mental health, health risk exposures, and protective factors. Over 900 trans youth aged 14 to 25 participated in the bilingual anonymous online survey that ran from October 2013 to May 2014. This paper documents challenges that Canadian trans youth experience in accessing health care services critical for supporting their overall wellbeing. Among trans youth, it was found that only 15% were 'very comfortable' discussing their trans status with their doctor and nearly half (47%) of older youth had forgone needed physical care in previous year. A third (33%) of younger youth had forgone needed physical care and two thirds (68%) had forgone necessary mental health care in the previous year. Reasons for not accessing care included not wanting parents to know, thinking or hoping the problem would go away, being afraid of what the doctor might say or do, previous negative experiences, and not knowing where to go. Findings indicate that trans youth in Canada experience barriers in accessing not only trans-specific care (e.g. puberty suppression, hormone therapy), but also basic physical and mental health care. Connections between health care access and health outcomes, as well as implications for improving personal and population health through improvements to Canadian health care systems will be discussed.