Transgender and gender diverse individuals' daily experiences of rumination

Misgendering and the health and wellbeing of nonbinary people in Canada

Background: Misgendering-using the wrong name, pronoun, or gendered language to refer to someone-is known to have negative impacts on the mental health and well-being of trans individuals generally. However, little is known about the effects of misgendering on nonbinary people specifically. Aims: As such, our research asked: 1) Among nonbinary people, what factors are associated with frequency of misgendering?; and 2) Do nonbinary people who experience misgendering less often have better health outcomes? Methods and Results: We analyzed data from Trans PULSE Canada, a community-based survey of trans and nonbinary people living in Canada, using a subset (n = 1091) who identified as nonbinary and completed questions on misgendering. Misgendering was a frequent and distressing experience for nonbinary participants, with 59% misgendered daily, 30% weekly or monthly, and only 11% yearly or less. Most (58%) reported being very or quite upset when misgendered. About one in eight (13%) corrected others most or all of the times they were misgendered. Daily misgendering was more common among nonbinary people who were younger than 25 years old (64%, p < .0001), visibly disabled (74%, p = .003), assigned female at birth (61%, p <.0001) or racialized as a person of color and assigned male at birth (65%, p < .0001) compared with their counterparts. In multivariable regression analyses, less frequent misgendering (weekly/monthly vs. daily) was associated with a lower OASIS anxiety score (β = -0.555, 95% CI = -1.062, -0.048). Discussion: Our research highlights the complexity of outness, passing, concealment, and affirmation for nonbinary people living at the intersections of marginalizations. Future research could build stronger causal analyses of the impacts of misgendering, how nonbinary people cope with misgendering, and policy and interventions to decrease misgendering.

Differential associations between enacted and expected stigma with psychological distress, alcohol use, and substance use in transgender and gender diverse people

BACKGROUND

Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people experience high rates of stigma and marginalization that are theorized to exacerbate substance use and psychological distress. However, little research has examined the role of various minority stressors in relation to substance use in TGD populations.

METHODS

In this sample of 181 TGD individuals in the U.S. who reported substance use or binge drinking over the past month (M age = 25.6; SD = 5.6), we evaluated whether enacted stigma predicted alcohol use, substance use, and psychological distress.

RESULTS

Participants endorsed a high rate of exposure to enacted stigma over the past 6 months (e.g., 52% had been verbally insulted). Furthermore, 27.8% of the sample was classified as having moderate or higher severity drug use, and 35.4% were classified as having hazardous drinking levels. We found that enacted stigma was significantly related to moderate-high drug use and psychological distress. There were no significant associations between stigma variables and hazardous levels of drinking. Enacted stigma had an indirect effect on psychological distress via increased expectations of stigma.

CONCLUSIONS

This study adds to the growing literature exploring minority stressors in relation to substance use and mental health. Subsequent research is needed to examine TGD-specific factors that may more fully explain how TGD people cope with enacted stigma or that may influence substance use, particularly alcohol use.

Trans and Gender Diverse People's Experience Wearing Face Masks During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings from Data Across 4 States in the USA

Introduction

Social isolation and reduced access to public life in response to SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) challenges health and well-being for many. Marginalized communities, including transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people, have been disproportionally impacted. Experiences of TGD people should be centered in pandemic-related research to better inform policy.

Methods

A diverse sample of TGD people (N = 158) were recruited from Michigan, Nebraska, Oregon, and Tennessee to participate in the Trans Resilience and Health Study. Participants ranged from 19 to 70 years old (M = 33.06; SD = 12.88) with 27.2% identifying as trans men/men, 26% identifying as trans women/women, and remaining identifying with terms like genderqueer and nonbinary. Thirty percent identified as people of color. Participants completed a monthly COVID-19-related questionnaire April 2020-March 2021 including open-ended questions to learn what contributed to resilience during this time. Thematic analyses of responses enabled identification of salient themes.

Results

Analyses revealed pandemic-related changes in social experiences of marginalization and mask-wearing. Twenty-six participants mentioned face masks as contributing to resilience while also elaborating the influence of masks on experiences of misgendering. Participants identifying as trans women reported decreased misgendering while trans men and nonbinary participants reported increased misgendering.

Conclusions and Policy Implications

Mask-wearing helps reduce transmission of COVID-19. For some trans women, masks also reduce the threat of misgendering and possibly other forms of enacted stigma. However, increased risk for misgendering, as noted by trans men in our study, should be considered and increased supports should be provided.