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Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology

Erschienen in:

10.05.2023 | Research

Structural transphobia is associated with psychological distress and suicidality in a large national sample of transgender adults

verfasst von: Maggi A. Price, Nathan L. Hollinsaid, Sarah McKetta, Emily J. Mellen, Marina Rakhilin

Erschienen in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology | Ausgabe 2/2024

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Abstract

Purpose

Transgender adults face increasingly discriminatory laws/policies and prejudicial attitudes in many regions of the United States (US), yet research has neither quantified state-level transphobia using indicators of both, nor considered their collective association with transgender adults’ psychological wellbeing, hindering the identification of this potential social determinant of transgender mental health inequity.

Methods

We therefore used factor analysis to develop a more comprehensive structural transphobia measure encompassing 29 indicators of transphobic laws/policies and attitudes at the state level, which we linked to individual-level mental health data from a large national sample of 27,279 transgender adults (ages 18–100) residing in 45 US states and the District of Columbia (DC).

Results

Controlling for individual- (i.e., demographics), interpersonal- (i.e., perceived discrimination), and state- (i.e., income inequality, religiosity) level covariates, transgender adults from US states with higher (vs. lower) levels of structural transphobia reported more severe past-month psychological distress and were more likely to endorse past-year and lifetime suicidal thoughts, plans, and attempts.

Conclusion

Findings provide novel evidence that state-level transphobic laws/policies and attitudes collectively shape a range of important mental health outcomes among transgender adults in the US. Multilevel intervention strategies, such as affirming mental health treatments, provider-training interventions, and supportive legislation, are needed to address structural transphobia’s multifaceted nature and negative mental health consequences.

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Titel: Structural transphobia is associated with psychological distress and suicidality in a large national sample of transgender adults
verfasst von: Maggi A. Price
Nathan L. Hollinsaid
Sarah McKetta
Emily J. Mellen
Marina Rakhilin
Publikationsdatum: 10.05.2023
Verlag: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Erschienen in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology / Ausgabe 2/2024
Print ISSN: 0933-7954
Elektronische ISSN: 1433-9285
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-023-02482-4

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Structural transphobia is associated with psychological distress and suicidality in a large national sample of transgender adults

Abstract

Purpose

Methods

Results

Conclusion

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