Unravelling the Movements in the Transgender Health Research of the Past 20 Years

Abstract

Despite the unprecedented global visibility that transgender individuals are receiving, they continue to represent one of the most vulnerable minority groups across various dimensions-mentally, physically, financially, culturally, socially, and in other areas. Their health conditions often fluctuate due to challenges related to gender incongruity and the complexities of sex reassignment, with the medications and treatments required being lifelong commitments. Consequently, transgender health represents a research domain that necessitates particular attention and financial support to ensure the provision of appropriate, equitable, and accessible healthcare resources. This study investigates the trends in transgender health research over the past two decades. A total of 1,005 research publications were retrieved from the Scopus database, revealing a notable upward trend in this area, particularly in recent years. MS-Excel, Biblioshiny of RStudio package and VOSviewer were used for the analysis and visualization. The majority of research efforts are concentrated in the fields of medicine and social sciences, with the United States emerging as the leading contributor to this research, characterized by a high number of prolific authors, productive research institutions, and significant funding agencies. The current research trend in this field has also been unraveled. Through this study, researchers can understand the hot topic in transgender health research, and thereby identify common barriers and effective interventions to promote health equity for transgender individuals globally