An Overview of Depression among Transgender Women.

Beth Hoffman

doi:10.1155/2014/394283

Abstract

Rates of depression are higher in transgender women than in the general population, warranting an understanding of the variables related to depression in this group. Results of the literature review of depression in transgender women reveal several variables influencing depression, including social support, violence, sex work, and gender identity. The theoretical constructs of minority stress, coping, and identity control theory are explored in terms of how they may predict depression in transgender women. Depression and depressive symptoms have been used to predict high-risk sexual behaviors with mixed results. The implications of the findings on treating depression in transgender women include taking into account the stress of transition and the importance of supportive peers and family. Future studies should explore a model of depression and high-risk behaviors in transgender women.

Highlights

Transgender is a general term that refers to people with a variety of identities
Transgender women experience depression, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts at rates much higher than in the general population: estimates of the lifetime prevalence of depression in transgender women have been reported as high as 62% [3], while the lifetime depression rate for the general United States population is 16.6% [4]
They found that conflict was a risk factor for depression and affirmation was protective against depression, supporting identity control theory and indicating the importance of a transgender woman’s social network in her mental health

Summary

Introduction

Transgender is a general term that refers to people with a variety of identities. In the broadest sense it refers to people who do not adhere to the cultural definitions of gender [1]. 226 MTF, 125 FTM, (i) Online survey Depression recruited online (ii) Cross sectional Anxiety (i) Social support (ii) Facilitative coping (iii) Avoidant coping (iv) Transspecific loss (i) Transition status (ii) Family history (iii) Age Income. Interview Cross sectional (i) Ethnicity (ii) Age (iii) Immigration (i) Physical violence (iv) Education (ii) Verbal violence (v) Income (iii) Social support (vi) Sex work (iv) Suicidal ideation (vii) Housing status (viii) Sexual orientation (ix) SRS. (i) Family support (ii) Friend support (i) Age (ii) Relationship status (iii) Rural versus urban (iv) Income (v) Employment (vi) Education (vii) Housing (viii) Childhood abuse (ix) Transphobia (x) Racism (xi) Health probs. The majority of the other studies recruited as widely as possible, targeting community groups (some of which do cater to HIV-positive individuals) and using respondent-driven sampling to reach transgender females who would not be reached otherwise

Factors Predicting Depression

Theoretical Constructs Explaining Transgender Women’s Depression

Depression as a Factor Predicting Health-Related Variables

Findings

Conclusions and Implications