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. 2019 Jan;6(1):34-39.
doi: 10.1089/lgbt.2017.0262. Epub 2018 Dec 18.

Benefit of Gender-Affirming Medical Treatment for Transgender Elders: Later-Life Alignment of Mind and Body

Xiang Cai  1 , Jaclyn M W Hughto  2   3   4 , Sari L Reisner  5   6   7   8 , John E Pachankis  1 , Becca R Levy  1   9
Affiliations

Benefit of Gender-Affirming Medical Treatment for Transgender Elders: Later-Life Alignment of Mind and Body

Xiang Cai et al. LGBT Health. 2019 Jan.

Abstract

Purpose: This study examined whether older age moderates the association between gender-affirming medical treatment and quality of life (QOL) among transgender individuals.

Methods: Transgender men and women from the National Transgender Discrimination Survey who had either recently or never undergone medical treatment were included (n = 2420). A moderation analysis was utilized.

Results: As predicted, participants who initiated medical treatment had higher QOL than those who did not. Age moderated this association. The QOL difference was greater for older than for younger transgender individuals.

Conclusion: Among all transgender men and women, gender-affirming medical treatment can be especially beneficial for elders.

Keywords: aging; gender-affirming medical treatment; quality of life; transgender.

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Conflict of interest statement

No competing financial interests exist.

Figures

<b>FIG. 1.</b>
FIG. 1.
Difference in QOL for transgender individuals who had recent initial gender-affirming medical treatment and those who had no treatment at all. Means are adjusted for all covariates (gender identity, income, race/ethnicity, education, employment status, relationship status, and health insurance status). The bar which connects the two age groups shows the significant interaction of age group and medical treatment, after adjusting for covariates. *p < 0.05. Among transgender individuals who were 18–59 years old, those who had no treatment had an average QOL score of 2.15, and those who had recent initial gender-affirming medical treatment had an average QOL score of 2.64. Among transgender individuals who were 60 years old or older, those who had no treatment had an average QOL score of 2.05, and those who had recent initial gender-affirming medical treatment had an average QOL score of 3.33. QOL, quality of life.
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