My Life, My Story and Identity Disclosure Among Transgender and Gender Diverse Veterans: A Program Evaluation. Transgend Health 2022 Nov;7(6):556-560
Date
01/17/2023Pubmed ID
36644119Pubmed Central ID
PMC9829157DOI
10.1089/trgh.2021.0004Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85143663129 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 2 CitationsAbstract
Transgender and gender diverse individuals face minority stressors during and after military service, increasing risk for poor health outcomes. Identity disclosure may mitigate these consequences through improving access to healthcare. Yet, stigma may impede Veterans' self-disclosure, and providers may not inquire about identities, hindering necessary screenings and treatments. In this program evaluation, we examined a narrative medicine approach, "My Life, My Story," to discern whether storytelling invites identity disclosure. This program may facilitate improved person-centered care by increasing clinicians' awareness of Veterans' identities.