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Cited by 51LGBTQ Health, Identity, and PolicyHIV/AIDS Research and InterventionsGender and Feminist Studies

Mental health and challenges of transgender women: A qualitative study in Brazil and India

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Gomes de Jesus, Jaqueline, Belden, C. Micha, Huynh, Hy V., Malta, Monica, LeGrand, Sara, Kaza, Venkata Gopala Krishna, Whetten, Kathryn·2020·International Journal of Transgender Health
DOI 10.1080/26895269.2020.1761923PMC PMC8726648
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Abstract

Background: Transgender women from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are understudied, their coping strategies and struggles underrecognised.Aims: This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of transgender women from two major cities located in Brazil and India, LMICs with high rates of transphobia and gender-based violence.Methods: We conducted a mixed-methods, exploratory study, including focus group discussions (FGDs) and brief survey interviews with 23 transgender women from Hyderabad, India and 12 transgender women from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Herein we present the combined (qualitative and quantitative) results related to discrimination, stigma, violence, and suicidality in transgender women’s lives.Results: Three major themes emerged from FGDs: stigma and discrimination; violence, and suicidality. Lack of education and working opportunities influence high levels of poverty and engagement in survival sex work by transgender women in both cities. Study participants live in large cities with more than 6 million inhabitants, but transgender women reported chronic social isolation. Participants disclosed frequent suicide ideation and suicide attempts. Brief surveys corroborate FGD findings, identifying high prevalence of discrimination, intimate partner violence, suicidality and low social support.Discussion: Multiple layers of stigma, discrimination, violence and social isolation affect transgender women’s quality of life in Hyderabad and Rio de Janeiro. Strategies sensitive to gender and culture should be implemented to tackle entrenched prejudice and social exclusion reported by transgender women. Additional social support strategies, better access to education and employment opportunities are also urgently needed. Improving the availability of evidence-based mental health interventions addressing the high prevalence of suicidality among transgender women from Hyderabad, India and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil should be prioritized.

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  • A variety of factors inform the prevalence of mental illness among transgender FSW, including violence exposure, stigma, and substance use.

    “A variety of factors inform the prevalence of mental illness among transgender FSW, including violence exposure, stigma, and substance use.2–4,6–11”

    From Mindfulness, Mental Health, and Violence Exposure Among Transgender Female Sex Workers Living with HIV in the Dominican Republic. (2026) · cites this paper as [2]

    The Abstract (p. 1) and Discussion (p. 10) connect stigma and violence with suicidality among transgender women; the Discussion also reports an association between substance use and attempted suicide. The study does not establish these factors as determinants of mental-illness prevalence specifically among transgender female sex workers (FSW), rather than transgender women more broadly. (LLM, conf=0.84)

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Cited by

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Authors
Gomes de Jesus, J., Belden, C. M., Huynh, H. V., Malta, M., LeGrand, S., Kaza, V. G. K., & Whetten, K.
Affiliations
  • Rio de Janeiro Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil;
  • Duke University (US)
  • Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada;
  • Acharya Nagarjuna University (IN)
ORCID
Venue
International Journal of Transgender Health
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Published
2020-06-02
Volume
21
Issue
4
Pages
418-430
ISSN
2689-5269 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1080/26895269.2020.1761923
PMC
PMC8726648
OpenAlex
W3033386693
Cited by
51
References
1
Citations by year
2026: 7 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 14 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 2
FWCI
5.74
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • International Journal of Transgender Health (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Infectious Diseases › HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions
  • Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender and Feminist Studies
Keywords
transgender women, mental health, stigma, discrimination, intimate partner violence, suicidality, social isolation, poverty, social support, transphobia, gender-based violence, low- and middle-income countries, Brazil, India

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