“More research being done is so validating”: Insights from transgender and gender-diverse participants on a psychophysiological study with deception

Résumé fourni par la source

Laboratory-based research methods (e.g., psychophysiology, stress induction paradigms) are insightful for understanding the mechanisms underlying health disparities experienced by transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) people. Among this population, fear and mistrust of research remain due to historical mistreatment, and TGD people remain under-represented in experimental research. Researchers sensitive to these issues may hesitate to recruit TGD participants in fear of causing discomfort associated with more invasive laboratory-based research methods. Inclusive study design efforts exist, but it is unclear how they are received by TGD people. We explored TGD participants’ experiences in a study involving social exclusion and psychophysiological measurements (electrocardiogram and impedance cardiography) to understand how inclusive study design efforts were perceived. We conducted interviews with the first 10 TGD participants in a study where participants completed a social exclusion manipulation involving deception (i.e., Cyberball; Williams, 2000) while providing psychophysiological data (larger study N = 105). Informed by interpretive description (Thorne, 2016), we coded interview transcriptions to identify commonalities and patterns of participant experiences across each study phase. Overall, participants appreciated research efforts to increase transparency and encourage participant agency. Despite some discomforts, participants report that inclusive efforts fostered a sense of trust and safety throughout the study. During deception (and debriefing) and psychophysiological measurement, participant experiences in the study were positive or neutral. Participants provided constructive feedback about several study design elements. These findings provide researchers with tangible recommendations for inclusive experimental research for TGD participants that may help build trust and mutual respect between minoritized groups and researchers.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.