Abstract
Objectives: We examined types of discrimination encountered by transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals and the associations with symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as the mediating and moderating effects of coping responses. Method: This online study included 695 TGD individuals ages 16 years and over (M = 25.52; standard deviation = 9.68). Results: Most participants (76.1%) reported discrimination over the past year. Greater exposure to discrimination was associated with more symptoms of depression and anxiety. These associations were mediated by coping via detachment and via internalization, although a direct effect remained. Conclusions: Many TGD people will encounter discrimination and this is associated with greater psychological distress. Engagement in the internalization of blame or detachment partially explains the association between discrimination and mental health issues. These findings elucidate possible avenues for interventions to bolster adaptive coping responses for TGD people and highlight that actions to decrease discrimination are urgently needed.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 176-194 |
| Number of pages | 19 |
| Journal | Journal of Clinical Psychology |
| Volume | 76 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 1 2020 |
Funding
The project described herein was supported by a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (1F32DA038557). We thank the members of the Trans Health CAB who assisted with this project for their time, feedback, and dedicated involvement. We also thank the participants who completed the study for their time.
Keywords
- anxiety
- coping
- depression
- discrimination
- mental health
- transgender
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
- Clinical Psychology
