Voice and Communication in Transmasculine Individuals One Year Under Testosterone Therapy: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Objectives/hypothesesThe purpose of this study was to investigate voice and communication difficulties in transmasculine individuals to develop evidence-based voice and communication training programs. Study designQualitative study. MethodsEight transmasculine individuals, who had received testosterone therapy (TT) for at least 1 year, were included in this study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted by 2 experienced voice clinicians. The software program NVivo was used for transcribing and coding the interviews. Data were processed using a thematic analysis. ResultsThe thematic analysis resulted in the identification of five major themes. Most transmasculine individuals experienced a pitch decrease during the first year of TT and encountered voice-related problems, with a higher incidence during the initial period. Additionally, some participants experienced increased satisfaction with how others attributed their gender after 1 year of TT. However, others still experienced a discrepancy between external gender attribution, self-attribution, and their desired attribution by others. Many participants did not receive voice and communication training. In many cases, voice had a significant impact on their well-being and daily life. ConclusionsIt’s difficult to generalize the results of the current study, since the population of transmasculine individuals is heterogeneous in terms of their subjective gender positioning, desired gender attribution, gender attribution received from others, and gender-related aspects of their vocal situation. Some clients may express dissatisfaction with specific aspects of their voice and communication and may require professional support. Therefore, clinical practice for transmasculine individuals should adopt an individualized approach based on a comprehensive examination of the client's perspective.