Sari L Reisner
Biographic Data
| ID | 124455 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Sari L Reisner |
| GIVEN NAMES | Sari L |
| FAMILY NAME | Reisner |
| SIGNATURE | REISNER S L |
| AFFILIATIONS | Harvard University |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-7868-4746 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 145 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 606 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 145 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2008 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 13 |
Transgender stigma
This study analyzes the discursive construction of transgender stigma in depictions of transgender people by the Peruvian press. It provides an important theoretical advancement establishing the press’ disapproving language actions (DLAs) as the nexus between social control and stigma. It connects sociolinguistics, speech act theory, media studies, and transgender research, leveraging the value of prior research informing the speech action of dis…
Disparities in Psychological Wellbeing by Sexual Orientation
Transgender-Specific Correlates of Intimate Partner Violence Differ by Gender Identity and Type of Violence
Purpose Transgender individuals are at high risk for intimate partner violence (IPV). Elucidating transgender-specific correlates of IPV may guide the timing and content of screening and prevention guidelines for transgender communities. Methods We used secondary data from 2015 US Trans Survey (n = 27,715, ages ≥18), restricted to individuals who reported ever having a partner (n = 24,736, 89.3%). We used multivariable Poisson regression with rob…
The Gender Non-affirmation from Sexual Partners Scale
This study evaluated the psychometric performance and correlates of a 4-item GNSP scale among transgender, nonbinary, and gender diverse (TGD) adults. Data were collected in 2019-2020 via an electronic, self-reported cross-sectional survey of 2192 TGD adults accessing two U.S. LGBTQ+ community health centers. Participants reporting sex within the past 6 months (60.7%, n = 1463) were asked the 4-item GNSP scale. Analyses were internal consistency …
Perceived Effect of Race/Ethnicity, Place, and Religion on Gender Identity
Transgender, nonbinary, and gender diverse young adults (TGD-YA) experience mental health inequities. Negative experiences coming out (disclosing gender identity) and/or understanding gender identity can adversely affect mental health. This formative study explored the perceived effect of race/ethnicity, place, and religion on TGD-YA experiences of coming out/understanding gender. In August 2022, a U.S. nationwide sample of TGD-YA ages 18–25 year…
Analyzing multiple types of discrimination using implicit and explicit measures, comparing target vs. Dominant groups, in a study of smoking/vaping among community health center members in Boston, Mas…
Lifetime homelessness among young transgender women in Lima, Peru is associated with HIV vulnerability
Transgender youth face disproportionately high rates of homelessness, which can increase vulnerability to HIV. In Peru, the incidence of HIV among transgender women has increased 19% since 2010 and young transgender women are a priority population for HIV prevention. We sought to estimate the proportion of young transgender women experiencing homelessness and associations between homelessness and HIV vulnerabilities. We recruited transgender wome…
“When Somebody Comes into This Country and You Are Trans on Top of That Is Like You Got… Two Strikes on You”
In the United States (U.S.), Latina transgender women (LTW) are highly burdened by HIV and are prioritized for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). This study explored intersectional barriers and facilitators to PrEP uptake among LTW. Between February-November 2022, in-depth interviews were conducted with 27 LTW in the LITE Study. Participants were purposively sampled from 196 LTW in the cohort based on PrEP uptake (PrEP-naïve n = 8, PrEP-eligible an…
The Affirm Framework for gender-affirming care
Findings from this study and the AFFIRM Framework which emerged from TGD patient narratives can be applied to improve current care and set benchmarks for high-quality gender-affirming care delivery and practice
The Covid-19 global pandemic and allostatic load among a cohort of Black and Latina transgender women living with HIV
This exploratory study investigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on stress biomarkers and allostatic load for Black and Latina transgender women living with HIV (BLTWLH), as well as COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, and vaccination status. LITE Plus is a longitudinal cohort study of BLTWLH designed to identify pathways linking biopsychosocial stress to HIV co-morbidities. Participants were enrolled between October 2019-June 2022. Descri…
Public Health Education and Training in Sex, Gender, and Transgender Health
We describe the development and evaluation of “Women, Gender, and Health 230: The Health of Transgender and Gender Diverse People,” a course at Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health that aims to equip future leaders in public health with conceptual frameworks and research methods to address sex- and gender-based population health inequities. We explain the pedagogy, course rationale, design, and implementation of the course for faculty, desi…
Association of Discrimination and Violence With Suicidality Among Travestis and Transgender Women in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2015‒2023
Objectives. To examine the associations between discrimination, violence, and suicidality among travestis and transgender women in Brazil. Methods. We analyzed baseline data from the Transcendendo cohort (2015–2023) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which enrolled travestis and transgender women aged 18 years and older. We assessed lifetime discrimination by using an 8-item scale reflecting transgender-related mistreatment experiences. We also measured …
Psychological distress and substance use among transgender and gender diverse adults in the United States
BACKGROUND: Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) populations have high mental and behavioral health morbidity, yet few studies have explored inequities in TGD people at the intersection of multiple identities. PURPOSE: This study sought to describe inequities in severe psychological distress and substance use by gender/sex, race, and socioeconomic status (SES) in TGD adults. METHODS: We conducted an intersectional multilevel analysis of individua…
Structural drivers of health among transgender women in the United States
“We followed their lead”
Transgender and gender diverse youth and young adults (TGDY) experience higher mental health morbidity, including self-harm, suicide ideation, and suicide attempts, as compared to cisgender peers. Support from family members is associated with improved mental health outcomes for TGDY. However, little is known about the process that caregivers who consider themselves supportive undergo and how caregiver-youth relationships evolve through a TGDY's …
Design and pilot evaluation of a brief intervention to reduce transphobia and improve attitudes of government officials to address legal gender affirmation needs of transgender people in Peru
Legal gender affirmation – legal name and gender marker change – is an important health-promoting health determinant for transgender people. In Peru, the state's failure to universally recognize transgender people’s legal identity limits standardized legal affirmation procedures, including the paucity of government officials trained in gender affirmation strategies. This project, in partnership with Registro Nacional de Identificación y Estado Ci…
Healthcare Mistreatment is Associated With Psychological Distress, Suicidality, and Substance Use Among Transgender and Nonbinary Emerging Adults
Transgender and nonbinary (TNB) emerging adults in the United States experience mistreatment inside and outside healthcare settings, which may contribute to known mental health and substance use inequities. The purpose of our study was to examine associations between provider and healthcare setting mistreatment with past 30-day severe psychological distress, illicit substance use, binge drinking, and past year suicidal ideation among TNB emerging…
Racial/ethnic differences in the association between transgender-related U.S. state policies and self-rated health of transgender women
The policies included in this analysis do not mitigate racism's effects on access to resources, indicating they may be less impactful for transgender women of color than White transgender women. Future research and policy advocacy efforts promoting transgender women's health must center racial equity as well as transgender people of color's priorities
Social, economic, and physical side effects impact PrEP uptake and persistence among transgender women in Peru
This research highlights the ways that physical, economic, and social side effects of PrEP can impact acceptability and persistence among trans women in Peru, amplifying and layering onto existing stressors including economic precarity. Understanding the unique experiences of trans women taking PrEP is crucial to informing tailored interventions to improve uptake and persistence
Access to healthcare among transgender women living with and without HIV in the United States
Gender minority stress was associated with increased barriers to healthcare access among TW in the US, regardless of HIV status. Resilience factors did not mediate this effect. Interventions aiming to increase healthcare access among TW can be aided by efforts to mitigate drivers of gender minority stress and improve patient experiences in healthcare facilities
Preference for Long-Acting HIV Prevention Methods Among Transgender Women Vulnerable to HIV in Eastern and Southern United States
The “Cycle” of HIV
Globally, transgender women (TW) face a high burden of the HIV epidemic. In Peru, HIV prevalence among TW rises at age 25, indicating a need to understand HIV vulnerability as adolescents reach adulthood. The life course of TW is often marked by abuse, discrimination and poverty fueled by transphobic stigma. Approaches to the HIV epidemic among TW and adolescents emphasize problem behaviors such as unprotected sex and substance. However, there ha…
Gender minority stress is associated with past-year suicidal ideation in a national probability sample of transgender and gender diverse adults
Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) adults experience increased discrimination and victimization relative to cisgender adults, thus elevating their risk for suicidal ideation (SI). Social support and connection to the broader TGD community may mitigate the relationship between gender identity-based stressors (i.e., interpersonal minority stressors), psychological stress processes (i.e., intrapsychic minority stress processes), and TGD adults' ri…
Controlling partner dynamics in transgender/nonbinary young adults’ romantic relationships
Controlling partner dynamics-when a person's sexual or romantic partner exerts disproportionate control over their behavior and/or joint decisions-can adversely impact sexual and mental health. For transgender and/or nonbinary (TNB) young adults, cissexism-the system of power relations that marginalizes TNB people in favor of cisgender people-may contribute to controlling partner dynamics. However, mechanisms linking cissexism to controlling part…
Quantitative approaches to measuring structural cisgenderism
Experiences of Transgender-Related Discrimination and Implications for Health
Objectives. We examined relationships between social determinants of health and experiences of transgender-related discrimination reported by transgender people in Virginia. Methods. In 2005 through 2006, 387 self-identified transgender people completed a statewide health needs assessment; 350 who completed eligibility questions were included in this examination of factors associated with experiences of discrimination in health care, employment, …
Gender Minority Social Stress in Adolescence
Bullying and substance use represent serious public health issues facing adolescents in the United States. Few large-sample national studies have examined differences in these indicators by gender identity. The Teen Health and Technology Study (N = 5,542) sampled adolescents ages 13 to 18 years old online. Weighted multivariable logistic regression models investigated disparities in substance use and tested a gender minority social stress hypothe…
Discriminatory experiences associated with posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms among transgender adults
Discrimination has been shown to disproportionately burden transgender people; however, there has been a lack of clinical attention to the mental health sequelae of discrimination, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Additionally, few studies contextualize discrimination alongside other traumatic stressors in predicting PTSD symptomatology. The current study sought to fill these gaps. A community-based sample of 412 transgend…
Differences in Sexual Orientation Diversity and Sexual Fluidity in Attractions Among Gender Minority Adults in Massachusetts
This study characterized sexual orientation identities and sexual fluidity in attractions in a community-based sample of self-identified transgender and gender-nonconforming adults in Massachusetts. Participants were recruited in 2013 using bimodel methods (online and in person) to complete a one-time, Web-based quantitative survey that included questions about sexual orientation identity and sexual fluidity. Multivariable logistic regression mod…
Demographic Characteristics and Health Status of Transgender Adults in Select US Regions
Objectives. To describe the health status of the transgender population in the United States. Methods. We used 2014 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data that comprised a probability sample from 19 US states and Guam (n = 151 456). Results. Bivariate analyses showed that, in comparison with cisgender individuals, transgender individuals had a higher prevalence of poor general health (odds ratio [OR] = 1.7; 95% confidence interval [CI] =…
Street Workers and Internet Escorts
"Counting" Transgender and Gender-Nonconforming Adults in Health Research
Gender minority refers to transgender and gender-nonconforming people whose sex assigned at birth is different from their current gender identity. US health surveillance systems do not routinely include questions to identify gender minority respondents, resulting in a lack of representative health data that can be used to evaluate the health of gender minorities. This omission represents a missed opportunity to understand the health and well-bein…
Sexual Mixing Patterns and Partner Characteristics of Black MSM in Massachusetts at Increased Risk for HIV Infection and Transmission
Association Between Socioeconomic Position Discrimination and Psychological Distress
In this sample, SEP emerged as the most important domain of discrimination in its association with mental health distress. Future research should consider intersecting domains of discrimination to better understand social disparities in mental health
The transgender-specific intimate partner violence scale for research and practice
Using a Two-Step Method to Measure Transgender Identity in Latin America/the Caribbean, Portugal, and Spain
Required Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Reporting by US Health Centers
Objectives. To assess the performance of US health centers during the first year of required sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) data reporting and to estimate the baseline proportion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender patients accessing health centers. Methods. We conducted a secondary analysis of SOGI data from 2016. These data were reported by 1367 US health centers caring for 25 860 296 patients in the United States and terr…
Internalized transphobia
Background: Transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) individuals encounter a variety of minority stressors that have yet to be fully articulated or explored within the research literature. The purpose of this study is to better understand internalized stigma—the experience of accepting and internalizing negative social messages and experiences about one's identity—an underexplored minority stressor for TGNC people.Method: We conducted in-depth…
Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Data Collection
Improving correctional healthcare providers' ability to care for transgender patients
Commitment, interpersonal stigma, and mental health in romantic relationships between transgender women and cisgender male partners
The goals of this study were to (a) examine associations between interpersonal stigma and psychological distress among a sample of transgender women and their cisgender male partners and (b) identify whether commitment moderates the association between interpersonal stigma and psychological distress. To address these aims, 191 couples consisting of transgender women and their cisgender male partners completed a one-time survey. Actor-partner inte…
Comprehensive Transgender Healthcare
This report describes the evolution of a Boston community health center's multidisciplinary model of transgender healthcare, research, education, and dissemination of best practices. This process began with the development of a community-based approach to care that has been refined over almost 20 years where transgender patients have received tailored services through the Transgender Health Program. The program began as a response to unmet clinic…
Dyadic effects of gender minority stressors in substance use behaviors among transgender women and their non-transgender male partners
Gender minority stressors are critical to understanding substance use among transgender women and their male partners. Integrating socioeconomic status into gender minority stress frameworks is essential. Results have implications for substance use prevention and treatment, including the need to incorporate gender minority stressors into interventions
Sexual Orientation Disparities in Cancer-Related Risk Behaviors of Tobacco, Alcohol, Sexual Behaviors, and Diet and Physical Activity
Objectives. We examined sexual orientation disparities in cancer-related risk behaviors among adolescents. Methods. We pooled data from the 2005 and 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Surveys. We classified youths with any same-sex orientation as sexual minority and the remainder as heterosexual. We compared the groups on risk behaviors and stratified by gender, age ( 14 years), and race/ethnicity. Results. Sexual minorities (7.6% of the sample) reported m…
Sex and Gender in the US Health Surveillance System
Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) data have exposed significant sexual orientation disparities in health. Interest in examining the health of transgender youths, whose gender identities or expressions are not fully congruent with their assigned sex at birth, highlights limitations of the YRBS and the broader US health surveillance system. In 2009, we conducted the mixed-methods Massachusetts Gender Measures Project to develop and cognitively test…
Asynchronous Online Focus Groups for Health Research
Increasingly, social life-and accordingly, social research-is conducted in online environments. Asynchronous online focus groups (AOFGs) have emerged as an important tool to conduct remote research with geographically diverse populations. However, there remain few systematic accounts of AOFG methods to guide researchers' decision-making in designing and implementing studies. This paper seeks to address this gap by describing a recent study on bod…
LGBTQ bullying
Researchers and practitioners have recently called for greater involvement of school health professionals (SHPs; e.g., school psychologists, nurses, guidance counselors) in interventions to identify and address bullying of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) students. To inform future interventions, this study explored the perspectives of LGBTQ students and SHPs on LGBTQ bullying and SHPs’ responses to LGBTQ bullyin…
Human papillomavirus vaccination disparities among U.S. college students
I have to constantly prove to myself, to people, that I fit the bill
Race-Based Sexual Preferences in a Sample of Online Profiles of Urban Men Seeking Sex with Men
Differential HIV Risk Behavior among Men who have Sex with Men Seeking Health-Related Mobile Van Services at Diverse Gay-Specific Venues
Psychosocial and Behavioral Predictors of Partner Notification After HIV and STI Exposure and Infection Among MSM
Street Workers and Internet Escorts
Predictors of Identifying as a Barebacker among High-Risk New England HIV Seronegative Men Who Have Sex with Men
Stressful or traumatic life events, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and HIV sexual risk taking among men who have sex with men
The present study assessed the presence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in response to stressful or traumatic life events and their impact on HIV risk behaviors and associated psychosocial variables among men who have sex with men (MSM). Participants (n=189; 60% HIV-infected) who were recruited by notices posted in a community health clinic and via a modified respondent-driven sampling technique completed a behavioral assessment…
Clinically Significant Depressive Symptoms as a Risk Factor for HIV Infection Among Black MSM in Massachusetts
Sexual Mixing Patterns and Partner Characteristics of Black MSM in Massachusetts at Increased Risk for HIV Infection and Transmission
Health Care Access and Sexually Transmitted Infection Screening Frequency Among At-Risk Massachusetts Men Who Have Sex With Men
Objectives. We sought to assess risk exposures, health care access, and screening rates for HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Massachusetts. Methods. We used a modified respondent-driven sampling method to collect data between March 2006 and May 2007. Overall, 126 MSM completed a survey. Results. Seventy percent of participants reported unprotected receptive anal intercourse with at least 1 no…
Mental Health and HIV Risk in Men Who Have Sex With Men
Evidence-based HIV prevention interventions with men who have sex with men (MSM) in the United States have moderate effect sizes in reducing HIV sexual risk behavior. Mental health and psychosocial problems, which both disproportionately affect MSM populations and are implicated in HIV transmission risk behaviors, also likely interfere with the uptake of HIV behavioral interventions. Moreover, given that mental health and psychosocial problems su…
Problematic alcohol use and HIV risk among Black men who have sex with men in Massachusetts
This analysis was designed to explore the frequency of problem drinking and its role in potentiating HIV risk among a community-recruited sample of Black men who have sex with men (MSM) in Massachusetts. Black MSM (n=197) recruited via modified respondent-driven sampling between January and July 2008 completed an interviewer-administered survey, including HIV sexual behavior, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), and the …
“We fear the police, and the police fear us”
Ukraine has one of the most severe HIV/AIDS epidemics in Europe, with an estimated 1.63% of the population living with HIV/AIDS in 2007. Injection drug use (IDU) remains the predominant mode of transmission in Kiev - the capital and largest city. Prior reports suggest that the HIV infection rate among IDUs in Kiev reaches 33%, and many have poor and inequitable access to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Among those with access to HAA…
Sex Parties among Urban MSM
What Makes a Respondent-Driven Sampling “Seed” Productive? Example of Finding At-Risk Massachusetts Men Who Have Sex with Men
The Use of Respondent-Driven Sampling to Recruit At-Risk Minority Men Who Have Sex with Men in Massachusetts
This study assessed the ability of a modified respondent-driven sampling (RDS) method to recruit racial and ethnic minority men who have sex with men (MSM) at risk for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). We used a modified RDS technique, a relatively new method of chain-referral sampling, to recruit 50 MSM in Greater Boston for a behavioral survey and interview. Traditional recruitment methods used by Fenway Community Health, a …
Forward”
We examined the initial efficacy of “40 & Forward,” a manualized group intervention developed to reduce HIV sexual risk for gay and bisexual men age 40 and older who self-report problems with depression, isolation/loneliness, and social anxiety. A retrospective evaluation of program data from 84 participants (mean age = 51; 26% HIV infected) across four groups compared within-person change in mental health and sexual risk outcomes between baselin…
Sentencing risk
This study investigated the role of incarceration in HIV/STD risk among 197 Black men who have sex with men in Massachusetts, USA. More than half (51%) reported a history of incarceration (28% < 90 days in jail/prison; 23% ≥ 90 days in jail/prison). Multivariable logistic regression models adjusted for age and sexual orientation examined associations between demographic, behavioural, social-psychological and cultural factors and incarceration his…
HIV Sexual Risk Behavior among Black Men Who Meet Other Men on the Internet for Sex
Association Between Socioeconomic Position Discrimination and Psychological Distress
In this sample, SEP emerged as the most important domain of discrimination in its association with mental health distress. Future research should consider intersecting domains of discrimination to better understand social disparities in mental health
Self-perceived HIV risk and the use of risk reduction strategies among men who engage in transactional sex with other men in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
An emerging HIV epidemic can be seen among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Vietnam, with prevalence as high as 18%. Transactional sex represents a risk factor for HIV transmission/acquisition among MSM globally, particularly in urban contexts, but remains largely underinvestigated in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam. In 2010, 23 MSM who reported exchanging sex for money in the last month completed a brief survey and semistructured qualitative …
Substance Use Among HIV-Infected Patients Engaged in Primary Care in the United States
Objectives. The purpose of this study was to better understand substance use behaviors and deleterious health consequences among individuals with HIV. Methods. We examined a multicenter cohort of HIV-infected patients (n = 3413) receiving care in 4 US cities (Seattle, Birmingham, San Diego, Boston) between December 2005 and April 2010 in the Centers for AIDS Research Network of Integrated Clinical Systems (CNICS). We used generalized estimating e…
Experiences of Transgender-Related Discrimination and Implications for Health
Objectives. We examined relationships between social determinants of health and experiences of transgender-related discrimination reported by transgender people in Virginia. Methods. In 2005 through 2006, 387 self-identified transgender people completed a statewide health needs assessment; 350 who completed eligibility questions were included in this examination of factors associated with experiences of discrimination in health care, employment, …
Racial/Ethnic Disparities in History of Incarceration, Experiences of Victimization, and Associated Health Indicators Among Transgender Women in the U.S.
Limited national data document the prevalence of incarceration among transgender women, experiences of victimization while incarcerated, and associations of transgender status with health. Data were from the National Transgender Discrimination Survey (NTDS), a large convenience sample of transgender adults in the U.S., collected between September 2008 and March 2009. Respondents who indicated a transfeminine gender identity were included in the c…
Gender minority stress, mental health, and relationship quality
Research has demonstrated associations between experiences of discrimination, relationship quality, and mental health. However, critical questions remain unanswered with regard to how stigma enacted and experienced at the dyadic-level influences relationship quality and mental health for transgender women and their cisgender (nontransgender) male partners. The present study sought to examine how experiences of transgender-related discrimination (…
Sexual risk behaviors and psychosocial health concerns of female-to-male transgender men screening for STDs at an urban community health center
The sexual health of female-to-male (FTM) transgender men remains understudied. De-identified electronic medical records of 23 FTMs (mean age = 32, 48% racial/ethnic minority) who screened for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) between July and December 2007 at a Boston, Massachusetts area health center were analyzed. Almost half (48%) were on testosterone and 39% had undergone chest surgery; none had undergone genital reconstruction. The major…
Monitoring the health of transgender and other gender minority populations
The survey items performed well in this sample and are recommended for further evaluation in languages other than English and with diverse samples in terms of age, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status
Psychology (117 works) · Medicine (116 works) · LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy (105 works) · Transgender (96 works) · Psychiatry (58 works) · HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions (56 works) · Demography (55 works) · Family medicine (55 works) · Sociology (54 works) · Public health (52 works)