Abstract
Groups marginalized and/or isolated by minority status—including transgender individuals—are at significant risk for loneliness and diminished quality of life (QoL), effects that can be mitigated to some extent by coping styles. In this study, we examined the relationships among coping styles, loneliness, and QoL outcomes in a marginalized but understudied gender minority group, namely, 200 transgender individuals living in communities in an emerging/developing non-Western geo-cultural region of South-Central Asia (Pakistan), comparing them against a reference group of 100 heterosexual cisgender individuals. Results indicated strong relationships among coping styles, loneliness, and QoL in both transgender and cisgender groups. Moderating variable analysis revealed that coping skills—whether adaptive or maladaptive—help explain differences in loneliness and QoL not only between trans- and cis-gender individuals, but also within just the transgender group. The implications of these findings for intervention strategies to improve QoL among transgender populations are discussed, with reference to both the specific context within Pakistan and the larger context of transgender marginalization within many developing/emerging countries.
Highlights
Vulnerable groups, including the aged and those marked by minority status related to race, disability, religion, and gender/sexual identity, are often marginalized and isolated from mainstream society
A second group consisting of 100 heterosexual cisgender individuals was recruited to serve as a reference/comparison group in order to determine parallels in the role of social support in loneliness and/or quality of life (QoL). (We considered this as a comparison/reference group rather than an actual control group.) Inclusion criteria included declared heterosexual cisgender status, 18 years or older, having the ability to read Urdu, and unemployed and/or having no formal occupation
This is the first comprehensive study to investigate the role of coping strategies in predicting loneliness and QoL in a non-Western/South Asian sample of transgender individuals
Summary
Vulnerable groups, including the aged and those marked by minority status related to race, disability, religion, and gender/sexual identity, are often marginalized and isolated from mainstream society. Paramount to the effects of chronic marginalization and isolation are feelings of loneliness, characterized by the sense of being disconnected from others and/or lowered social care [1,2,3]. Both physical and social separation/isolation can disrupt ongoing relationships and communal networks, weakening social ties and precipitating loneliness as new ties remain undeveloped [4,5]. Perceived dissimilarity with peers may exacerbate feelings of loneliness, with those who differ from the majority in terms of race, nationality, religion, physical parameters, or sexual/gender identities being marginalized [7]. The very outcomes of loneliness—depression, anxiety, and high-risk behaviors—may worsen the situation, resulting in behaviors that further isolate the individual from peers and social networks [8]
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