Table 3.
Specific Health Care Practices and Needs in a Sample of Transgender and Gender Nonconfirming People in Puerto Rico
| Health care practices and needs | Totala | Frequency | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preferred modalities for health service delivery | 52 | ||
| Individual psychotherapy | 46 | 88.5 | |
| Primary care | 41 | 78.8 | |
| Pharmaceutical care | 39 | 75.0 | |
| Group therapy | 35 | 67.3 | |
| Counseling | 32 | 61.5 | |
| Health education | 31 | 59.6 | |
| Dental care | 31 | 59.6 | |
| Other | 6 | 11.5 | |
| Barriers to health care services | 52 | ||
| Lack of knowledge of health care providers | 31 | 59.6 | |
| Discomfort in health encounters | 29 | 55.8 | |
| Discrimination from health care providers | 22 | 42.3 | |
| Lack of medical coverage (denied coverage) | 22 | 42.3 | |
| Refusal of services (refused treatment) | 16 | 30.8 | |
| Inability to pay for services (cannot afford) | 14 | 26.9 | |
| Verbal harassment | 12 | 23.1 | |
| Physical abuse | 2 | 3.8 | |
| Other | 4 | 7.7 | |
| Have been asked by a physician about his/her gender identity or sexual orientation | 50 | 27 | 54.0 |
| Have told his/her gender identity or sexual orientation to a physician | 51 | 40 | 78.4 |
| Physician has asked about sexual practices | 50 | 26 | 52.0 |
| Have told a physician about his/her sexual practices | 50 | 27 | 54.0 |
| Have had negative experiences when sharing gender identity or sexual orientation to a health care professional | 47 | 20 | 42.6 |
| Hormone use | 32 | ||
| History of using hormones (current or ever) | 20 | 62.5 | |
| Considering using hormones | 32 | 7 | 21.9 |
| Not interested in using hormones | 2 | 6.3 | |
| Cannot afford using hormones | 5 | 15.6 | |
| Have used hormones under medical supervision | 20 | 3 | 15.0 |
| Time using hormones | 20 | ||
| Less than 2 months | 3 | 15.0 | |
| 2–6 months | 1 | 5.0 | |
| 6 months to a year | 1 | 5.0 | |
| 1–5 years | 6 | 30.0 | |
| Over 5 years | 9 | 45.0 | |
| Silicone use | 32 | ||
| Have used injectable silicone | 9 | 28.1 | |
| Considering using liquid silicone | 3 | 9.4 | |
| Not interested in using silicone | 3 | 9.4 | |
| Have used silicone under medical supervision | 0 | 0.0 | |
| Gender-affirming surgery | 31 | ||
| Have had any form of gender-affirming surgery | 13 | 41.9 | |
| Have had gender-affirming surgery under medical supervision | 13 | 12 | 92.3 |
| HIV and other STIs | 50 | ||
| Have ever been tested for HIV | 43 | 86.0 | |
| Have tested for HIV in the last 6 months | 43 | 26 | 60.5 |
| Have tested for HIV over a year ago | 10 | 23.3 | |
| Have not been tested for HIV | 7 | ||
| Do not know where to go | 1 | 14.3 | |
| Not at risk (self-perception) | 7 | 100.0 | |
| Fear of result | 2 | 28.6 | |
| Previous experience of discrimination when testing | 1 | 14.3 | |
| Have been diagnosed with HIV | 49 | 4 | 8.2 |
| Engaged in HIV care | 4 | 100.0 | |
| Have been diagnosed with at least one STI (other than HIV) | 49 | ||
| Chlamydia | 5 | 10.2 | |
| Syphilis | 4 | 8.2 | |
| Genital Herpes | 3 | 6.1 | |
| Human Papillomavirus | 2 | 4.1 | |
| Gonorrhea | 1 | 2.0 | |
| Reasons for having received mental health services | 49 | 29 | 59.2 |
| Depression | 19 | 65.5 | |
| Anxiety | 19 | 65.5 | |
| Suicidal behaviors | 8 | 27.6 | |
| Other | 7 | 24.1 | |
| Eating disorders | 5 | 17.2 | |
| Substance abuse | 4 | 13.8 |
a
Total number of participants varies as some questions were asked based on participants' characteristics (based on answers to previous questions) and participants had the option of skipping answering questions.
STI, sexually transmitted infection.