Personal Healthcare Networks of Transgender and Gender-Diverse Adults After Gender-Affirming Surgery
Other Titles
Knowledgeable and Inclusive Care After Gender-Affirming Surgery: A Social Network Analysis [Poster Title]
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate access to healthcare among transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) individuals after gender-affirming surgery by using social network analysis to describe their “personal healthcare networks” of healthcare professionals. Our first aim was to characterize the content, function, and structure of the personal healthcare networks of TGD adults after gender-affirming surgery (N = 130) and examine associations with self-rated physical and mental health. Our second aim was to qualitatively explore TGD adults’ experiences of constructing, accessing, and engaging with those personal healthcare networks after surgery (N = 24).
Notes
The supplemental file in this report is a poster presentation given at the Eastern Nursing Research Society's 38th Annual Scientific Sessions held in 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. This poster, one of many planned dissemination opportunities, reported on the initial findings of the quantitative survey element of the grant project.
Sigma Membership
Alpha Zeta
Type
Report
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Cross-Sectional
Research Approach
Mixed/Multi Method Research
Keywords:
Access to Care, Social Network Analysis, Transgender Health, Gender Affirming Care, Gender Affirmation Surgery, Transgender People, Gender Nonconformity, Health Services Accessibility
Recommended Citation
Gaedecke, Tyler, "Personal Healthcare Networks of Transgender and Gender-Diverse Adults After Gender-Affirming Surgery" (2026). Sigma Foundation for Nursing Research Grant Reports. 202.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/grant_reports/202
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
None: Sigma Grant Recipient Report
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-04-03
Funder(s)
Sigma Foundation for Nursing
Full Text of Presentation
wf_yes
Description
This grant furthers research in transgender health by improving our understanding of access to healthcare in the life period after gender-affirming surgeries, allowing us to imagine new approaches to supporting these patients across the lifespan. By supporting a dissertation study, this grant also facilitated the training of a nurse scientist focused on improving access to high-quality healthcare services for marginalized populations.