Abstract
Trans individuals (e.g. trans men and women, non-binary, gender fluid) are at higher risk for mental health concerns, in part due to marginalization. Previous work has documented the effects of social support and community engagement on health outcomes. However, individuals' perceptions of community engagement effects may point to opportunities for intervention. This mixed methods study examines trans individuals' perceived effects of participating in trans communities on health outcomes. Semi-structured in-person interviews were conducted with 20 individuals, and 60 individuals participated in cross-sectional online surveys. Perceived discrimination had a strong negative association with self-assessed mental health. Effects of participation included a) positive: contextualization and normalization of experience, self-appraisal, safety, and relief; and b) neutral/negative: energy drain and stigmatization. Effects of not participating included loneliness, depression, isolation, hiding identity, and losing resources. Both discrimination and non-participation in trans communities had negative effects on mental health. Though community participation is often discussed as positive for marginalized populations, it may be important to include possible negative effects (such as energy drain) in research.
Highlights
Data Availability Statement: All 5 files are available from the Open ICPSR database at https:// www.openicpsr.org/openicpsr/project/117143/ version/V1/view.Trans communities remain an understudied area of research, especially in relation to the effects of community participation and engagement [1]
Previous studies of trans individuals are typically focused on transition-related and HIV-related care [2]. Research shows that these individuals are at a higher risk of negative mental health outcomes. These effects may be explained through the minority stress framework, which describes how stress of marginalization within cisnormative societies can lead to negative health outcomes [3]
This study suggested the implementation of social support networks to create higher self-esteem ratings within the transgender and trans community
Summary
Data Availability Statement: All 5 files are available from the Open ICPSR database at https:// www.openicpsr.org/openicpsr/project/117143/ version/V1/view.Trans communities remain an understudied area of research, especially in relation to the effects of community participation and engagement [1]. Trans individuals refer to those whose gender identity differs from societal expectations based on sex assigned at birth (e.g. trans men and women, gender fluid, non-binary). Previous studies of trans individuals are typically focused on transition-related and HIV-related care [2]. Research shows that these individuals are at a higher risk of negative mental health outcomes. These effects may be explained through the minority stress framework, which describes how stress of marginalization within cisnormative (prioritizing and normalizing cisgender, or having one’s gender correspond to their sex assigned at birth) societies can lead to negative health outcomes [3].
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