Study Title
An Evaluation of the Attitudes and Confidence of Speech and Language Therapists regarding Gender-Affirming Care in the Republic of Ireland: A Mixed-Methods Survey
Study Team:
Principle investigator: Elena Byrne, (Student), Trinity College Dublin, byrnee82@tcd.ie
Research Supervisor: Ciarán Kenny (Assistant Professor), Trinity College Dublin, Ciaran.Kenny@tcd.ie
Introduction
We invite you to take part in a research study. Before you decide, please take the time to read this information carefully.
Do not feel rushed or under pressure to make a quick decision.
The Study
Purpose: We are doing this study to identify perceived attitudes, barriers and training needs within current SLT clinical practice and how this information can guide future training and development. This data may be taken into consideration by stakeholders in the development of the upcoming update to the TGNC model of care in the Republic of Ireland.
You are being invited to participate because you:
● Are working as a Speech and Language Therapist
● Work with adults (even if you do not see transgender clients).
● Work in the Republic of Ireland.
● Work in any setting (including private practice).
Your participation is entirely voluntary. You can change your mind and opt out at any time.
If you agree to participate, you will complete an online questionnaire. It should take approximately 6-10 minutes to complete.
Taking part may not directly benefit you, but it will help us better understand current practice to help future training and development.
You can stop the survey at any time before submitting your answers. If you close the survey before submitting your answers, we will consider you to have withdrawn and will not include you in our analysis.
Please note that because the survey is anonymous, once you submit your responses, we will not be able to remove them as we cannot trace them back to you.
There are no known risks involved in this study. If any questions cause you distress, you may stop the survey.
The study is anticipated to conclude in January 2027. You can email me at byrnee82@tcd.ie after this timeframe if you would like a copy of the results. The results will be used in my Final Year Project for Trinity College Dublin.
Approval, Organising, and Funding
Approval: This study was approved by the School of Linguistic, Speech and Communication Sciences Research Ethics Committee on the 8th of October 2026.
Further Information
If you have concerns or questions, please contact:
Principal Investigator: Elena Byrne, byrnee82@tcd.ie
Data Controller: Trinity College Dublin
Data Protection Officer, TCD: dataprotection@tcd.ie
Data Protection Commission: www.dataprotection.ie
Next Steps
If you would like to take part, please click "Agree" to begin the survey. If you do not wish to proceed, click "Disagree".