[Transgender health and healthcare during the COVID­19 pandemic: a cross-sectional online survey in German-speaking countries]. / Gesundheit und Gesundheitsversorgung von trans Personen während der COVID­19-Pandemie: Eine Online-Querschnittstudie in deutschsprachigen Ländern.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Since spring of 2020, the COVID­19 pandemic has disrupted our day-to-day lives and led to negative consequences in various areas of life, including mental and physical wellbeing. In this article, we take a closer look at the situation of trans people, who - due to experiences with discrimination and marginalization as well as their specific health-related interests - could be characterized by a particular vulnerability. METHODS: Using an online cross-sectional survey, which we designed collaboratively with experts from the trans community, we investigated the mental and physical health of trans people from German-speaking countries and their access to trans-related healthcare during the COVID­19 pandemic in the period from 1 May 2020 to 31 January 2021. RESULTS: Since the beginning of the COVID­19 pandemic, trans people have experienced barriers in access to gender-affirming treatments, mental health services, and COVID­19-related medical care. At the same time, trans people reported being affected by chronic diseases disproportionately more often than the general population, including those leading to a higher risk for poorer outcomes of a COVID­19 infection. Moreover, the participants reported being exposed to many risk factors associated with higher mental distress (e.g., having a chronic illness, belonging to a minority based on a non-heterosexual orientation, or having a low income). DISCUSSION: The results of this survey indicate that prior vulnerabilities with regards to health problems and the restricted access to an informed and qualified transgender healthcare were exacerbated by the COVID­19 pandemic.