scholarly journals “The Graying Minority”: Lived Experiences and Psychosocial Challenges of Older Transgender Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic in India, A Qualitative Exploration

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debanjan Banerjee ◽  
T. S. Sathyanarayana Rao
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Social Risks ◽  
Gender Minorities ◽  
Psychosocial Challenges ◽  
Immunocompromised State ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Qualitative Exploration

Background: The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has emerged as a global health threat. Certain factors like age, an immunocompromised state, and social impoverishment, etc. can add to health vulnerabilities during this pandemic. One such group is older transgender adults, who often bear a combination of these risks. As the world is aging fast, their numbers have also been increasing. With this in mind, this study explores the lived experiences and psychosocial challenges of older transgender adults during the COVID-19 pandemic in India.Methods: A qualitative approach was used. Ten individuals with “transgender” identity above the age of 60 were recruited with consent through purposive sampling. In-depth interviews were conducted on the telephone using a pre-designed interview schedule. They were recorded, translated, and transcribed verbatim. Hasse's adaptation of Colaizzi's phenomenological method was used for analysis. Independent coding and respondent validation were used to ensure the rigor of data.Results: The super-arching categories (with themes) were marginalization (“second” priority, stigma, social disconnection), the dual burden of “age” and “gender” (ageism, othering, and psychosexual difficulties), and multi-faceted survival threats (physical, emotional, financial) during the pandemic. Social rituals, spirituality, hope, and acceptance of “gender dissonance” emerged as the main coping factors, whereas their unmet needs were social inclusion, awareness related to COVID-19, mental health care, and audience to their distress.Conclusion: The elderly gender minorities are at increased emotional and social risks during the ongoing pandemic, and their voices are mostly unheard. The need for policy implementation and community awareness about their social welfare is vital to improving their health and well-being.

scholarly journals THE POLITICS OF RECOGNIZABILITY: GIVING AN ACCOUNT OF IRANIANGAYMEN’S LIVES UNDER REPRESSIVE CONDITIONS OF SEXUALITY GOVERNANCE

2018 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wayne Martino ◽  
Jón Ingvar Kjaran
Keyword(s):  
Gay Men ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Male Subject ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Sexual And Gender Minorities ◽  
Islamic Republic ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Politics Of Recognition ◽  
Gender Minorities ◽  
And Gender

AbstractIn this article we examine accounts of self-identifying Iranian gay men. We draw on a range of evidentiary sources—interpretive, historical, online, and empirical—to generate critical and nuanced insights into the politics of recognition and representation that inform narrative accounts of the lived experiences of self-identifiedgayIranian men, and the constitution of same-sex desire for these men under specific conditions of Iranian modernity. In response to critiques of existinggayinternationalist and liberationist accounts of the Iraniangaymale subject as a persecuted victim of the Islamic Republic of Iran's barbarism, we address interpretive questions of sexuality governance in transnational contexts. Specifically, we attend to human rights frameworks in weighing social justice and political claims made by and on behalf of sexual and gender minorities in such Global South contexts. In this sense, our article represents a critical engagement with the relevant literature on sexuality governance and the politics of same-sex desire for Iraniangaymen that is informed by empirical analysis.

scholarly journals Refugeeness, Sexuality, and Gender: Spatialized Lived Experiences of Intersectionality by Queer Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Paris

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florent Chossière
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Subjective Effects ◽  
Power Relationships ◽  
Refugee Status ◽  
Gender Minorities ◽  
Determination Process ◽  
Sexuality And Gender ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Asylum Seekers And Refugees

In the last few years, asylum claims based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity (SOGI) have received increased attention within migration and queer studies. Mostly focusing on the refugee status determination process, these works have emphasized how the expectations of asylum institutions about “genuine queer refugees” lead to the exclusion of many applicants from SOGI asylum. This paper aims at shifting the analysis perspective from the legal categorization process to the impacts of everyday experienced categories of “asylum seekers” or “refugees” on queer migrants in the Parisian area. Using a three-year long ethnographic fieldwork, completed through interviews with queer asylum seekers and refugees, this paper investigates how refugeeness, understood as the objective and subjective effects of migration and asylum policies on individuals, contributes to shaping lived experiences of sexual and gender minorities in France. By drawing attention to the ways that the multiple power relationships queer asylum seekers and refugees have to face are spatially grounded, this paper discusses how an intersectional understanding of sexuality, gender, and refugeeness allows us to emphasize the role played by migration status in the negotiation of hetero- and cisnormativity. This paper also argues that far from remaining passive toward the categorization process they are subjected to, queer asylum seekers and refugees strategically appropriate the administrative categories with which they are associated. Such an analysis of lived experiences of queer asylum seekers and refugees in the country of arrival thus highlights the complex reshaping of social location caused by migration.

scholarly journals Psychosocial Framework of Resilience: Navigating Needs and Adversities During the Pandemic, A Qualitative Exploration in the Indian Frontline Physicians

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debanjan Banerjee ◽  
T. S. Sathyanarayana Rao ◽  
Roy Abraham Kallivayalil ◽  
Afzal Javed
Keyword(s):  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Unmet Needs ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychosocial Health ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Resource Limitations ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Resilience Framework ◽  
Frontline Healthcare Workers ◽  
Qualitative Exploration

IntroductionFrontline healthcare workers (HCW) have faced significant plight during the ongoing Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Studies have shown their vulnerabilities to depression, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress, and insomnia. In a developing country like India, with a rising caseload, resource limitations, and stigma, the adversities faced by the physicians are more significant. We attempted to hear their “voices” to understand their adversities and conceptualize their resilience framework.MethodsA qualitative approach was used with a constructivist paradigm. After an initial pilot, a socio-demographically heterogeneous population of 172 physicians working in COVID-designated centers were purposively sampled from all over India. Following in-depth virtual interviews using a pre-formed semi-structured guide, the data was transcribed and translated verbatim. The interview was focused on their challenges, needs, and processes of coping and support. Charmaz’s grounded theory was used for analysis supplemented by NVivo 10 software.ResultsFear of infection, uncertainty, stigma, guilt, and social isolation emerged as the main challenges. Simultaneously, their “unmet needs” were flexible work policies, administrative measures for better medical protection, the sensitivity of media toward the image of HCW, effective risk communication for their health, and finally, social inclusion. Their resilience “framework” emerged as a process while navigating these adversities and consisted of three facets: forming a “resilient identity,” managing the resilience, and working through the socio-occupational distress. The role of mental well-being, social network, peer support, problem negotiation, and self-care emerged as the key coping strategies.ConclusionThe study findings support the global call for better psychosocial health and quality of life of the frontline HCWs. Their “unheard voices” explored in the study can anchor subsequent resilience-enhancing interventions and policies. Guidelines focusing on the psychological wellbeing of frontline HCWs need to be grounded in their unmet needs and lived experiences.

scholarly journals Membership, Neighborhood Social Identification, Well-Being, and Health for the Elderly in Chile

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emilio Moyano-Díaz ◽  
Rodolfo Mendoza-Llanos
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Health Indicators ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Social Identification ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Neighborhood Councils ◽  
And Gender

The world’s elderly population is growing, and in Chile they represent 16.2% of the total population. In Chile, old age is marked by retirement, with a dramatic decrease in income that brings precariousness. Older adults are economically, socially, and psychologically vulnerable populations. This condition increases their likelihood of disengaging from their usual social environment, facilitating their isolation, sadness, and discomfort. From the perspective of social identity, well-being (WB) can be explained by two principles: social groups’ importance for health and people’s psychological identification with those groups. This study analyzes the relationships between belonging to the neighborhood and extra-neighborhood groups and neighborhood social identification with WB. Urban or rural location and gender are measured, and the sample is 1,475 older Chilean adults of both sexes. The results show that the majority are not members of social groups (52%), and the remaining 48% are members of one or two groups or organizations (42.65%). Only 4.47% belong to three groups or organizations. Those who belong to groups obtain higher scores, emotional–mental WB, and positive emotions than older adults who do not belong to any organization. Urban and rural older adults have the same level of WB. Membership in close social organizations (neighborhood councils) or distant ones (clubs for the elderly and religious groups) causes different WB associations. Membership in neighborhood councils reduces gender differences in self-assessment of health. This result supports the idea that participation in heterogeneous groups with a shared sense of belonging to the neighborhood is associated with higher WB and lower perceived loneliness. Social identification with the neighborhood, rather than belonging to the group, had the most widespread impact on WB and health indicators. The variable social identification with the neighborhood was consistently associated with indicators of hedonic WB.

scholarly journals “Their Untold Stories…”: Lived Experiences of Being a Transgender (Hijra), A Qualitative Study From India

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-173
Author(s):  
Bithika Mondal ◽  
Sudeshna Das ◽  
Deepshikha Ray ◽  
Debanjan Banerjee
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experience ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Sex Characteristics ◽  
Social Community ◽  
Feminine Gender ◽  
Gender Perceptions ◽  
Societal Interactions

Background: Transgender is an umbrella term, used to encompass people who have a gender identity or gender expression, which differs from their sex assignment at birth. Being independent of sexual orientation, they have often been classified as the “third sex.” Based on various sociocultural traditions and beliefs, they are frequently “othered,” discriminated, and stigmatized against. This has led to their limited social inclusion and participation. In the social diversity of a populous country like India, transgenders are termed as “hijra’s,” belonging to a separate social community. Their experiences, perceptions, and unmet needs are rarely evaluated. Methods: Qualitative approach was used to explore the “lived experience” of 4 individuals who are part of the “hijra” community in Kolkata. These individuals were born with ambiguous primary sex characteristics. In-depth interview was conducted with these participants with subsequent transcription. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used for analysis. Results: A total of 2 superordinate themes (identity issues, relationship issues) and 6 subordinate themes emerged from the analysis (identification with feminine gender, perceptions regarding caregivers, perception regarding siblings, perception regarding childhood peer groups, identification with the hijra community, societal rejection). The findings have been discussed in terms of identity process, social and cultural construal of hijras in this part of the world. Conclusion: In India, the transgenders (hijra community) represent a unique subculture besides the heterosexual groups. Understanding their relationships, sexuality and societal interactions are vital for their psychosocial well-being and related interventions. This study adds to the shared understanding of their marginalization and lived experiences, in their own voices.

scholarly journals Experiences of Gender Minority Stress in Cisgender Parents of Transgender/Gender-Expansive Prepubertal Children: A Qualitative Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (7) ◽  
pp. 865-886 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco A. Hidalgo ◽  
Diane Chen
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Minority Stress ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Social Stressors ◽  
Stress Theory ◽  
Gender Minorities ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Health And Well Being

Per minority stress theory, sexual and gender minorities are susceptible to bias-related social stressors that can internalize and increase their susceptibility to poor physical and mental health. Parents of transgender/gender-expansive (TGE) children may also encounter a number of stressors on account of their child’s gender experience. No known research had examined how these stressors align within a minority stress framework. This qualitative study examined and characterized minority stress phenomena in a clinically derived sample of English-speaking, cisgender parents of TGE children aged ≤11 years. Study findings included reports of distal and proximal forms of minority stress, with notable impact on health and well-being. Researchers highlight treatment implications and suggest studies continue to examine minority stress in parents of TGE children.

scholarly journals The Enabling Role of ICT to Mitigate the Negative Effects of Emotional and Social Loneliness of the Elderly during COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 3923
Author(s):  
Carmen Llorente-Barroso ◽  
Olga Kolotouchkina ◽  
Luis Mañas-Viniegra
Keyword(s):  
Elderly People ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Physical Contact ◽  
Emotional Impact ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Qualitative Exploration ◽  
The Impact

(1) Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has been especially hard on the elderly owing to their particular vulnerability to the virus. Their confinement to prevent the spread of the virus resulted in social isolation, often linked to the unwanted loneliness that hinders their emotional well-being. The enabling capacity of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) to overcome the negative effects of this isolation requires special attention. The purpose of this research is to understand the impact of the use of ICT on the emotional well-being of elderly people during their confinement. (2) Methods: A qualitative exploration method based on four focus groups with elderly people aged 60 years or older and three in-depth personal interviews with experts in education of the elderly were carried out. (3) Results: Research results evidence a negative emotional impact of the confinement (lack of physical contact with their loved ones, fear and uncertainty, feeling of loneliness, sadness at the loss of family members) on the emotional well-being of study participants. Furthermore, the operational capacity of ICT to prevent infection, as well as their positive emotional and humanizing role in providing access to entertainment and hobbies, and in improving self-esteem was also acknowledged. (4) Conclusions: ICT have become a valuable ally for elderly people aged 60 years and older to mitigate the negative effects of social isolation and loneliness imposed by the confinement.

“We Are Resilient, We Made It to This Point”: A Study of the Lived Experiences of Older LGBTQ2S+ Canadians

2021 ◽  
pp. 073346482098489
Author(s):  
Arne Stinchcombe ◽  
Katherine Kortes-Miller ◽  
Kimberley Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Constructivist Grounded Theory ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
Personal Histories ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Life Course

Promoting health and well-being for older adults is a priority among many jurisdictions worldwide. Canada’s population is aging and becoming increasingly diverse; one axis of a diverse aging population is aging members of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and two-spirit (LGBTQ2S+) communities. We sought to examine the lived experiences of older LGBTQ2S+ people in Canada to understand the barriers and facilitators to healthy aging among members of these communities. A total of 10 focus groups were held in 10 cities from across Canada. Sixty-one older LGBTQ2S+ people (Mean age = 67) participated in the study. Data were analyzed using a constructivist grounded theory approach. Through analysis, we identified themes related to the importance of community capacity, resources, resilience, and personal histories in shaping aging experiences. The findings highlight the importance acknowledging diverse sexual and gender identities and the role of the life course in developing and implementing approaches that promote healthy aging.

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