An Exploration of Transgender Identity Disclosure to Medical Providers

Transgender individuals represent a largely underserved minority population in the United States that presents with significant health concerns related to lack of access to quality care and knowledgeable providers, as well as delay of or failure to seek care due to fear of negative responses from medical professionals. Satisfactory patient health outcomes are strongly associated with positive patient-provider relationships that allow for the safe disclosure of risky information. This study employed the Disclosure Decision-Making Model (DD-MM; Greene, 2009) as a lens for examining transgender individuals’ experiences deciding whether to disclose their gender identity to providers. Findings from in-depth interviews (N=26) show the DD-MM can serve as a useful tool for exploring disclosure decisions in this context, and connections with the broader literature on disclosure were revealed. Additionally, findings shed light on areas for future research focused on improving the disclosure conversation between transgender patients and providers