Article Review 3

Article Review #3

Alex Duncan
Dr Currans
WGST 202
T/Th 12:30-1:45
Blog Topic: Violence Against Transgender People
Article Review #3

Testa, Rylan J., Sciacca, Laura M., Wang, Florence, Hendricks, Michael L., Goldblum, Peter,
Bradford, Judith, Bongar, Bruce. “Effects of Violence on Transgender People.” Professional Psychology: Research and Practice. Vol 43(5), Oct 2012, 452-459.

                The article “Effects of Violence on Transgender People” is a compilation of studies regarding health risks due to high amounts of violence towards trans men and women.  Much of this article focuses on the mental health of individuals who have experienced different forms of violence.  Based on a series of studies implemented by the Community Health Research Initiative (CHRI) by the Virginia Commonwealth College.  Subjects include physical violence, sexual violence, suicide attempts, and substance abuse.  The studies show high risk of suicide attempts, and that transgender individuals who have experienced physical or sexual violence may be more likely to attempt suicide or abuse drugs. 
            These studies were titled the Virginia Transgender Health Initiative Study (THIS) and it was a multiphase, multi-year project.  The sample included 350 self-identified transgender people who lived in or attended school in Virginia.  Subjects were predominately white, low-to-middle class, and had a variety of ages and education levels.  They were divided into four groups: dmab (designated male at birth) who wished to or have fully transitioned, dfab (designated female at birth) who wish to or have fully transitioned, dmab non-transitioning trans individuals, and dfab non-transitioning trans individuals.  They all took a survey, inquiring about physical and sexual violence since age 13 and whether or not their gender identity was a contributing factor.  They were also asked about if they have ever considered or attempted suicide, if so, how many times, and if they have ever used illegal substances.
            Based on the analysis of data, statistics show that trans women who had experienced physical violence were significantly more likely to consider suicide and that trans men who had experienced sexual violence were significantly more likely to consider suicide.  The results of the survey also report that the primary cause of the sexual or physical violence was the gender identity of the victim.  Rates of physical violence did not differ significantly based on age, race, ethnicity, SES, or between trans men vs women.  However, those with higher SES (annual household incomes above $100k) reported fewer occurrences of sexual violence.  All of these figures and statistics are shown through tables, significance tests, and percentages in regards to survey responses. 
            The studies do have a few limitations.  Because no data exists on the population of trans people in Virginia, a probability sampling could not be created.  This results in the studies using chi-squared tests rather than t-tests, which tend to be slightly more free, but still show statistical significance.  Because this was a volunteer based study, it may underrepresent those who do not have access to trans resources or who do not wish to seek help.  Most of the findings also focused on people who have fully transitioned or intend to fully transition, so the study cannot be generalized to people who identify as trans but do not intend to transition in any way. 
            This article related to my blog topic “Violence against Transgender People” because it is a statistical study surrounding the frequency and effects of violence, both physical and sexual, against people in Virginia who self-identify as transgender.  Due to the fact that it is based on significance tests and surveys, it has more in common with the first article I reviewed, which was in the same format, rather than the second.  “Transgender Foster Youth; A Forced Identity” was  more of a persuasive text which outlines the care of transgender youth.  However, both articles discussed the frequency of sexual violence and physical abuse and how these actions affect the mental health of individuals.  All three articles show the same facts that trans people are far more likely to experience violence and to suffer from suicidal thoughts than cisgender people are.  This article certainly introduced new ideas about what is the same and what is different between the experiences of trans men and trans women.  Of course, since it is just one study, we cannot take these figures as facts, but it was very interesting to see which factors showed correlation, even if that doesn’t necessarily imply causation amongst them.