Introduction The 100-item World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment (WHOQOL-100) evaluates quality of life as a subjective and multidimensional construct. Currently, particularly in Brazil, there are controversies concerning quality of life after sex reassignment surgery (SRS). Aim To assess the impact of surgical interventions on quality of life of 47 Brazilian male-to-female transsexual individuals using the WHOQOL-100. Methods This was a prospective cohort study using the WHOQOL-100 and sociodemographic questions for individuals diagnosed with gender identity disorder according to criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition. The protocol was used when a transsexual person entered the ambulatory clinic and at least 12 months after SRS. Main Outcome Measures Initially, improvement or worsening of quality of life was assessed using 6 domains and 24 facets. Subsequently, quality of life was assessed for individuals who underwent new surgical interventions and those who did not undergo these procedures 1 year after SRS. Results The participants showed significant improvement after SRS in domains II (psychological) and IV (social relationships) of the WHOQOL-100. In contrast, domains I (physical health) and III (level of independence) were significantly worse after SRS. Individuals who underwent additional surgery had a decrease in quality of life reflected in domains II and IV. During statistical analysis, all results were controlled for variations in demographic characteristics, without significant results. Conclusion The WHOQOL-100 is an important instrument to evaluate the quality of life of male-to-female transsexuals during different stages of treatment. SRS promotes the improvement of psychological aspects and social relationships. However, even 1 year after SRS, male-to-female transsexuals continue to report problems in physical health and difficulty in recovering their independence.

Transgender and gender diverse people (TGD) have specific healthcare needs and struggles with access barriers that should be addressed by public health systems. Our study aimed to address this topic in the Brazilian context. A hospital and web-based cross-sectional survey built with input from the medical and transgender communities was developed to assess TGD healthcare needs of and access barriers in two Brazilian states. Although services that assist this population have existed in Brazil since the 1990s, TGD have difficulty accessing these services due to discrimination, lack of information and a policy design that does not meet the needs of TGD. A history of discrimination was associated with a 6.72-fold increase in the frequency of health service avoidance [95% CI (4.5, 10.1)]. This article discusses the urgent necessity for adequate health policies and for the training of professionals regarding the needs of Brazilian TGD.

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The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a multidimensional (educational, affective and behavioural) web-based intervention to change healthcare practitioners' attitudes toward lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender population. It aimed to measure gender and sexual (GenSex) prejudice pre- and post-intervention in relation to sociodemographic characteristics. A total of 307 health practitioners from southern Brazil enrolled and completed the follow-up assessment. The intervention had significant effects, varying across traditionally high prejudiced groups. State- and street-level continuous prejudice reduction policies are suggested.

RESUMO -Buscou-se avaliar a qualidade metodológica das revisões sistemáticas (RS) publicadas em periódicos brasileiros de psicologia. Foi conduzida uma RS nas bases PePSIC e SciELO, usando as palavras-chave: "revisão" e "sistemática".Foram identificados e analisados 33 artigos através do instrumento Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR). A pontuação média das revisões foi 5,39 (em um escore que podia variar de 0 a 11). Houve diferença de qualidade entre as RS publicadas no SciELO e as que o foram no PePSIC, mas não foi observada diferença conforme o estrato do periódico, segundo o Qualis CAPES. Além disso, não verificou-se incremento na qualidade das publicações de 2001 a 2012. Sugere-se adoção de diretrizes por parte dos periódicos e dos autores de forma a melhorar a qualidade das RS no Brasil.Palavras-chave: revisão sistemática, metodologia, psicologia Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews in Brazilian Psychology JournalsQuality of systematic reviews in Psychology ABSTRACT -The aim of this study is to measure the methodological quality of systematic reviews (SR) published in Brazilian psychology journals. It was conducted a SR in SciELO and PePSIC databases, using "review" and "systematic" as keywords. 33 articles were identified and analyzed using the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR). The mean value of quality was 5.39 (SD = 1.91) on a scale ranging from 0 to 11. Using criteria of Qualis CAPES, significant differences were found in the quality of RS published in SciELO compared to those published in PePSIC, but not according to the journal extract. No increase in quality was observed from 2001 to 2012. The adoption of guidelines for publication of SR is suggested, in order to improve their quality in Brazil.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the generalizability of the minority stress model on predicting depressive symptomatology among sexual minority men living outside of the United States. In addition, the role of resilience and its relationship between individual minority stressors and depressive symptomatology is examined. The study utilized online purposive sampling and focused on sexual minority men living in Brazil; participants’ (N = 388) ages ranged from 18 to 56 years (Mage = 25.31, SDage = 7.87, Mdnage = 23). Participants completed measures that assessed sociodemographics, minority stressors, resilience, and symptoms of depression. Results of a hierarchical regression indicated that, while accounting for sociodemographics, enacted stigma and internalized homonegativity independently predicted participants’ depressive symptomatology, whereas concealment of sexual identity did not. Further, to assess the role of resilience, while accounting for the effects of sociodemographics and minority stressors, results suggested that resilience significantly added to predicting depressive symptomatology and indicated that enacted stigma was the only minority stressor that significantly predicted depressive symptomatology. Lastly, when interactions between individual minority stressors and resilience were added to the model, results suggested that resilience moderated the relationship between concealment of sexual orientation and depressive symptomatology. The study’s findings highlight the importance of considering sociocultural context and resilience in evaluating minority stress and depressive symptomatology among sexual minorities. The authors discuss the implications of this study in the context of theory, research, clinical practice, and policy among sexual minority men.

Since it was coined in the 1970s, in the United States, the term "homophobia" has been invoked to define the prejudice against nonheterosexual orientation. Besides the US, the phenomenon has been detected in many contemporary societies, including Brazil. Prejudice against nonheterosexual orientation is strongly associated with the historical and social contexts in which it is embedded, which means that the term should not be used without a clear definition of its local specificities. This applies to the recent debate around homophobia in the Brazilian context. In an attempt to identify existing studies of prejudice against nonheterosexual orientations in Brazil, a systematic review was conducted in SciELO indexes, PubMed, PsycINFO, SCOPUS, and Web of Science. The articles were collected using the keyword "homophobia" and related terms, and "Brazil", in the languages of the databases. The search returned 355 articles. Of these, 247 were removed because they were duplicates. The abstracts of 109 studies published between 1973 and 2011were analyzed. Thirty-one articles were identified as relevant. The reviewed studies indicate that prejudice against nonheterosexual orientations is an evident and widespread phenomenon that is prevalent in various populations and contexts. Nevertheless, prejudice in Brazil is not homogeneous, and particular attention is necessary to the inequality of gender relations (sexism) and prejudice against gender nonconformity, which seem to explain, if not cause, most of the prejudice against nonheterosexual orientations. Although theoretically there is a clear distinction between sexual orientation and gender expression, from the standpoint of manifestation of prejudice that distinction seems to be more tenuous.

This study assessed HIV prevalence and associated factors in 284 male-to-female transsexuals from southern Brazil. Seroprevalence was 25 %. Seroprevalence was higher and associated with older age, residence in the metropolitan area, history of diagnosis of other STDs, and reported history of sex work. The year of diagnosis showed no significant relationship with the prevalence of HIV nor the fact of being in a stable relationship, a history of drug use, years of education, and race/ethnicity. The odds of HIV infection compared with the general Brazilian population was 55.55 (95 % CI 38.39-80.39). Changes in the views of the vulnerable groups to HIV/AIDS in Brazil and efforts in the construction of strategies of prevention and in the guarantee of human rights are required.