Status: complete
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Backstory

The 2018 Michigan Trans Survey was co-created by University of Michigan School of Social Work faculty member Dr. Shanna K. Kattari and members of Transcend the Binary, as led by Executive Director, Brayden A. Misiolek. The goal of this survey was to better understand the health experiences, barriers, and facilitators to care as experienced by transgender and nonbinary individuals in the state of Michigan.

The project aims to: 

  • Capture a comprehensive, baseline report of trans/nonbinary health in the state.
  • Assess barriers and facilitators to care, including self-reported physical and mental health, provider inclusivity, preventative health screenings (e.g., STI/HIV testing) and PrEP, interpersonal and intimate partner violence, substance use, and more.
  • Inform policymakers, healthcare providers, health educators, researchers, and public health professionals.

Significance or Impact

The MTHS was the first-of-its-kind in the state of Michigan. Prior to this survey, there was no known state-specific survey taking a comprehensive look at the health of transgender and nonbinary individuals, making it difficult to share numbers and the need for support and better training with providers or to advocate in Lansing for policy change. What we hope that by better understanding barriers to care and health access needs of trans/gender diverse Michiganders, we can inform policy improvements, provider training, and ultimately increase access to affirming care.

Methods

From January to March 2018, a comprehensive, cross-sectional survey was developed with input from investigators, transgender and nonbinary individuals, and health researchers from the Transgender Research Group at the University of Michigan. We asked about gender, sexual orientation, race and ethnicity, disability status, and religion/spiritualit as open-ended questions to capture personal definitions and descriptors. This qualitative data was then recoded for analysis while preserving the original qualitative insights. Participants were required to be 18 or older, live in Michigan, and identify as transgender, nonbinary, or another non-cisgender gender. Consent was obtained through the survey (Qualtrics). The field of study was from May to September 2018 with online and in-person recruitment at events and organizations (e.g., Pride festivals, etc.). We implemented snowball recruitment methods, using online social media, websites, listservs, and physical recruitment (convenience sampling). Paper copies were offered, though none were returned. Participants could enter their contact information (separate from the survey) and receive a $10 Mastercard gift card, distributed in October 2018.

Community-Engagement:

We thank the countless members of our trans/nonbinary community who were involved throughout the project and made our work possible.

    • The concept originated with trans/nonbinary academic researchers.
    • Transcend the Binary was engaged as a community partner and:
        • facilitated review sessions with community members to assess survey language, content, and readability.
        • implemented the survey and supported survey recruitment.
        • was involved in the analysis of data.
        • supported the publication of findings in scientific journals.
        • authored, designed, and developed a community report.
    • Ten transgender and nonbinary individuals from outside the state conducted cognitive interviews, assessing the survey’s flow, duration, language, and cultural responsiveness.

What we learned

Our Michigan trans/gender diverse community faces barriers to accessing care, especially in rural areas. We experience high rates of anxiety and depression (measured by diagnoses), and face high rates of interpersonal violence and suicidality, as compared to the general population. Check out our community report and publications below for more specific details.

Based on these findings, we have:

  • The following peer-reviewed articles have been published based on data from the Michigan Trans Health Research in various journals, ranging from Transgender Health, Annals of LGBTQ Public and Population Health, to American Journal of Preventative Medicine.
    • Kattari, L., Hill, H., Shires, D. A., Prieto, L. R., Modi, I. K., Misiolek, B. A., & Kattari, S. K. (2024). Prescription Pain Reliever Misuse Among Transgender and Gender Diverse Adults. Transgender Health, 9(1), 68-75.
    • Prieto, L. R., Shires, D. A., Kattari, L., Modi, I. K., Misiolek, B. A., & Kattari, S. K. (2023). Secondary Analysis of the Michigan Transgender Health Survey Examining HIV and STI Screening Use Among Transmasculine Individuals. Annals of LGBTQ Public and Population Health, 4(1), 14-25.
    • Kattari, S. K., Kattari, L., Lacombe-Duncan, A., Shelton, J., & Misiolek, B. A. (2022). Differential experiences of sexual, physical, and emotional intimate partner violence among transgender and gender diverse adults. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 37(23-24), NP23281-NP23305.
    • Lacombe-Duncan, A., Kattari, L., Kattari, S. K., Scheim, A. I., Alexander, F., Yonce, S., & Misiolek, B. A. (2022). HIV testing among transgender and nonbinary persons in Michigan, United States: results of a community-based survey. Journal of the International AIDS Society, 25, e25972.
    • Lacombe-Duncan, A., Kattari, S. K., Kattari, L., Scheim, A. I., & Misiolek, B. A. (2022). Sexually transmitted infection testing among transgender and non-binary persons: results of a community-based cross-sectional survey. Sexual Health, 20(1), 87-91.
    • Kattari, S. K., Curley, K. M., Bakko, M., & Misiolek, B. A. (2020). Development and validation of the trans-inclusive provider scale. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 58(5), 707-714.
    • Kattari, S. K., Kattari, L., Johnson, I., Lacombe-Duncan, A., & Misiolek, B. A. (2020). Differential experiences of mental health among trans/gender diverse adults in Michigan. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(18), 6805.

Stay tuned as we prepare for the 2025 Michigan Trans Health Survey! 

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Study Sponsors

School of Social Work University of Michigan dark blue "M" logo
Transcend the Binary logo with TTB stacked vertically, with a square and rectangle transcending. Tagline includes "by and for trans folkx" and "Support, Educate, Empower."