Making mental healthcare usable for transgender women with depressive symptoms in urban Vietnam
Service entry, provider conduct and disclosure during assessment
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 24239096 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Anh Ngoc Luong (0000-0003-0686-6940, Hanoi Medical University) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 13 |
| Publication date | 2026-01-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Cambridge Prisms Global Mental Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2054-4251 • E-ISSN: 2054-4251 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/gmh.2026.10331 |
| OpenAlex | W7222985996 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 26 |
Transgender women face substantial mental health inequities, yet little is known about the service processes associated with approaching and using formal care in Vietnam. We conducted a focused analysis of 40 Vietnamese-language interviews from a 2021 qualitative study in Ho Chi Minh City, using observational and digital-ethnographic materials to supplement interpretation. Participants had Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale scores of at least 16 and had avoided, declined or discontinued professional mental healthcare. Reflexive thematic analysis examined accounts from pre-entry through consultation and assessment. Participants linked engagement to three connected service processes. They described public information as a credible route when they could assess qualifications, confidentiality, cost, procedures and social fit, often through transgender peers or community organizations. Consultations were described as usable when clinicians treated participants ordinarily and kept the presenting mental health concern central. Accounts of fuller disclosure involved clinicians explaining sensitive questions, confidentiality, and possible consequences; ambiguity and impatience were associated instead with self-protective answers. Equitable access requires more than service availability. Verifiable entry pathways, clinically disciplined provider conduct and disclosure-supportive assessment are practical targets for inclusive mental health system improvement.
access to mental health care · community organizations · Confidentiality · Depressive symptoms · digital ethnography · disclosure · Help-seeking · Ho Chi Minh City · mental health inequities · Transgender women · Vietnam · HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions · LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy · Mental Health Treatment and Access
Global health burden and needs of transgender populations
Conducting a critical interpretive synthesis of the literature on access to healthcare by vulnerable groups
Patient-centred access to health care
The Lancet Commission on global mental health and sustainable development
Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (Coreq)
The CES-D Scale
Providing supportive transgender mental health care
HIV Prevalence and Factors Related to HIV Infection Among Transgender Women in Vietnam
HIV and Syphilis Prevalence Among Transgender Women in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Transgender stigma and health
Gender in Health
Psychological distress among transgender and nonbinary individuals in Vietnam
One size fits all? What counts as quality practice in (reflexive) thematic analysis
Using thematic analysis in psychology
Navigating Constraints
Trans broken arm syndrome
Mental health in HIV prevention and care
They know better than we doctors do
| Highly cited | No |
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