"There's Still Time to Be Happy": The Life Trajectories of Portuguese Transgender Women Who Transitioned at 50+ Years

Overview

Journal Glob Qual Nurs Res

Publisher Sage Publications

Specialty Nursing

Date 2024 Apr 22

PMID 38646613

Authors

Rita Carvalho

Joao Tavares

Tatiana Casado

Liliana Sousa

Sara Guerra

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The process of transitioning involves making changes to align one's life with their authentic gender identity. This study explores the life trajectories of three Portuguese transgender women who transitioned later in life (50+ years old) by identifying key chapters in their life courses. Through inductive thematic analysis, six chapters were identified from the participants' interviews: (1) awareness of "something different in me," (2) locked into suffering, (3) finding comfort in something that is socially recognized, (4) "it is enough": it is time to recognize and embrace the woman I am, (5) living my life as a woman, and (6) building and leaving a legacy. Aging and the process of self-discovery played pivotal roles in participants' process of transitioning. The perception of finitude and the limitations associated with the time of life led them to realize that there was no time to waste and a sense of urgency to live authentically.

References

Cicero E, Reisner S, Merwin E, Humphreys J, Silva S . The health status of transgender and gender nonbinary adults in the United States. PLoS One. 2020; 15(2):e0228765. PMC: 7034836. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0228765. View

Cooper K, Russell A, Mandy W, Butler C . The phenomenology of gender dysphoria in adults: A systematic review and meta-synthesis. Clin Psychol Rev. 2020; 80:101875. PMC: 7441311. DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2020.101875. View

Evans S, Crawley J, Kane D, Edmunds K . The process of transitioning for the transgender individual and the nursing imperative: A narrative review. J Adv Nurs. 2021; 77(12):4646-4660. DOI: 10.1111/jan.14943. View

Morgan S, Stevens P . Transgender identity development as represented by a group of female-to-male transgendered adults. Issues Ment Health Nurs. 2008; 29(6):585-99. DOI: 10.1080/01612840802048782. View

Austin A, Goodman R . The Impact of Social Connectedness and Internalized Transphobic Stigma on Self-Esteem Among Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Adults. J Homosex. 2016; 64(6):825-841. DOI: 10.1080/00918369.2016.1236587. View

Sousa L, Silva A, Santos L, Patrao M . The family inheritance process: motivations and patterns of interaction. Eur J Ageing. 2017; 7(1):5-15. PMC: 5547277. DOI: 10.1007/s10433-010-0139-3. View

Brumbaugh-Johnson S, Hull K . Coming Out as Transgender: Navigating the Social Implications of a Transgender Identity. J Homosex. 2018; 66(8):1148-1177. DOI: 10.1080/00918369.2018.1493253. View

Fabbre V . Gender transitions in later life: a queer perspective on successful aging. Gerontologist. 2014; 55(1):144-53. PMC: 4542896. DOI: 10.1093/geront/gnu079. View

Fredriksen-Goldsen K, Kim H, Barkan S, Muraco A, Hoy-Ellis C . Health disparities among lesbian, gay, and bisexual older adults: results from a population-based study. Am J Public Health. 2013; 103(10):1802-9. PMC: 3770805. DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2012.301110. View

10.

Floyd F, Bakeman R . Coming-out across the life course: implications of age and historical context. Arch Sex Behav. 2006; 35(3):287-96. DOI: 10.1007/s10508-006-9022-x. View

11.

Moleiro C, Pinto N . Sexual orientation and gender identity: review of concepts, controversies and their relation to psychopathology classification systems. Front Psychol. 2015; 6:1511. PMC: 4589638. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01511. View

12.

Nemoto T, Bodeker B, Iwamoto M . Social support, exposure to violence and transphobia, and correlates of depression among male-to-female transgender women with a history of sex work. Am J Public Health. 2011; 101(10):1980-8. PMC: 3222349. DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2010.197285. View

13.

Campbell M, Hinton J, Anderson J . A systematic review of the relationship between religion and attitudes toward transgender and gender-variant people. Int J Transgend. 2020; 20(1):21-38. PMC: 6830999. DOI: 10.1080/15532739.2018.1545149. View

14.

Beckwith N, Reisner S, Zaslow S, Mayer K, Keuroghlian A . Factors Associated with Gender-Affirming Surgery and Age of Hormone Therapy Initiation Among Transgender Adults. Transgend Health. 2017; 2(1):156-164. PMC: 5685205. DOI: 10.1089/trgh.2017.0028. View

15.

Simons L, Schrager S, Clark L, Belzer M, Olson J . Parental support and mental health among transgender adolescents. J Adolesc Health. 2013; 53(6):791-3. PMC: 3838484. DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2013.07.019. View

16.

Fredriksen-Goldsen K, Cook-Daniels L, Kim H, Erosheva E, Emlet C, Hoy-Ellis C . Physical and mental health of transgender older adults: an at-risk and underserved population. Gerontologist. 2013; 54(3):488-500. PMC: 4013724. DOI: 10.1093/geront/gnt021. View

17.

Casado T, Tavares J, Guerra S, Sousa L . Leaving a Mark and Passing the Torch: Intended Legacies of Older Lesbian and Gay Spanish Activists. J Homosex. 2022; 70(10):2035-2049. DOI: 10.1080/00918369.2022.2048165. View

18.

Tsai C, Huang Y, Yen C . Experience of Sexual Orientation Microaggression among Young Adult Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Individuals in Taiwan: Its Related Factors and Association with Mental Health Problems. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021; 18(22). PMC: 8624001. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182211744. View

19.

Grossman A, DAugelli A . Transgender youth: invisible and vulnerable. J Homosex. 2006; 51(1):111-28. DOI: 10.1300/J082v51n01_06. View

20.

Hughto J, Reisner S, Pachankis J . Transgender stigma and health: A critical review of stigma determinants, mechanisms, and interventions. Soc Sci Med. 2015; 147:222-31. PMC: 4689648. DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.11.010. View