Grant: Doctoral Research Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Framing the Issue Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people are those whose gender identity (internal sense) and sex assigned at birth (based on anatomy) do not align. TGD people experience discrimination in their daily lives because of their marginalized gender identity, which leads to health concerns like problematic alcohol use. It is unknown if existing alcohol use treatments help TGD people reduce their drinking. Learning about the aspects of current alcohol use treatments that work best in TGD people will improve their care. Project Details I will conduct three studies to learn more about alcohol use treatments in TGD adults. These studies will recruit TGD adults interested in beginning treatment for their alcohol use from a specialized substance use clinic in Toronto, Ontario. Study 1 will ask participants to complete surveys about their substance use and mental health before and after 8 weeks of alcohol use treatment in the clinic. Then, it will compare changes in alcohol use to see which specific treatments worked best. Study 2 will ask a subset of Study 1's participants to respond to short surveys multiple times per day, including when they experience high alcohol cravings or drink more than they intended, to help determine what leads to these cravings and setbacks. Study 3 will interview a subset Study 1's participants after 8 weeks of treatment to explore what aspects of treatment they found most helpful. Importantly, TGD people are helping me lead this project. Impact of Research My research will collect valuable information about what needs to be included in future alcohol use treatments for TGD adults. More specifically, it will tell us (1) which existing treatments are most helpful for reducing alcohol use, (2) what thoughts and behaviours lead to treatment set-backs, and (3) what parts of treatment TGD people find most helpful. With this information, a new alcohol use treatment for TGD adults can be created, which will improve TGD healthcare.