Risk factors for violence in transgender people: a retrospective study of experiences during adolescence

"I Had Attained the Identity I Had Long Desired": A Grounded Theory Study of Experiences of Transgender Men in Türkiye

Transgender individuals form a distinct community that often experiences marginalization within society. This marginalization is particularly pronounced in patriarchal countries, where transgender men encounter various challenges across psychological, medical, legal, and social domains during their transition. The study design to conduct a thorough analysis of the life experiences and perspectives of transgender men in Türkiye. It involved 15 participants and the collected data were subsequently analyzed using the constant comparative method, a key technique within grounded theory methodology. The coding process resulted in three main themes: "Realizing gender identity", "Impact of social support sources", and "The nature of being visible", and six sub-themes were formed, the core category being "… Despite the numerous challenges encountered along the way, when I gazed into the mirror, I realized I had attained the identity I had long desired". Transgender individuals in the study expressed encountering emotional, physical, and psychological challenges throughout their personal journeys. However, despite these difficulties, they reported experiencing a sense of satisfaction and contentment upon reaching the end of their transition process. It is recommended to implement counseling services specifically tailored for transgender individuals and their families and incorporate transgender-related content into the training programs of professionals working with transgender individuals.

The Association Between Family Physical Abuse and Suicide Attempts Among Gender Minority Adolescents: A Comparison Study

Purpose: This study examines the prevalence of reported family physical abuse and the concurrent association between abuse and suicide attempts by adolescent gender identity. Methods: This study used the Profiles of Student Life: Attitudes and Behaviors dataset (N = 121,150 adolescents aged 11-19 [mean = 14.74, standard deviation = 1.78]) collected from 61 participating school districts and programs across the United States by Search Institute from 2012 to 2015. Multigroup logistic regression was used to examine the association between family abuse and suicide attempts by gender identity. Correlates included race/ethnicity, age, parent education, rurality, binge drinking, and tobacco use. Results: Results indicated that cisgender adolescents (i.e., participants who did not select a transgender identity) reported significantly less family abuse compared to gender minority adolescents. Family physical abuse was associated with higher odds of suicide attempts among all adolescents. The association was stronger for female adolescents compared to male adolescents but not significantly different across gender minority adolescents, including those who identify as transgender female to male, transgender male to female, and transgender without identifying or being unsure of their gender identity. The association between family physical abuse and suicide attempts was stronger among heterosexual female adolescents compared to sexual minority female, heterosexual male, sexual minority male, heterosexual gender minority, or sexual and gender minority adolescents. Conclusions: Findings highlight the importance of identifying and treating family abuse to prevent suicide attempts, particularly among gender and sexual minority adolescents.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Transgender Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs (T-KAB) Scale for the Mexican Population

Transphobia is a result of the widespread lack of knowledge among the general population, together with prejudice based on irrational fear and hatred, of those who do not fit the dominant, socially established gender categories. Little is known about transgender-related knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs among the Mexican population, due to the lack of reliable, valid Spanish-language instruments. This study presents a Spanish translation of the Transgender Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs (T-KAB) Scale and examines its psychometric properties for the Mexican population. A cohort of 501 adult subjects, 337 (67.3%) women and 161 (32.1%) men, drawn from the general population, answered the T-KAB in an anonymous online survey. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and internal consistency measure were used to determine whether its dimensions were reliable and valid for use in a Mexican Spanish language and cultural context. A CFA including the three original dimensions proposed and excluding one item from the T-KAB Scale showed appropriate goodness of fit indices (χ²(180) = 389.41; χ²/df = 2.16, RMSEA = 0.048, CI [0.042, 0.055]; CFI = 0.971; TLI = 0.966), with Cronbach's alpha values over 0.85. The psychometric properties exhibited by the Spanish version of the T-KAB support its use for the assessment of knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs regarding transgender people in the Mexican cultural context. This instrument offers researchers a brief, reliable, valid, and easy self-report measure to use in further studies in Spanish-speaking populations.

Associations between minority stress, depression, and suicidal ideation and attempts in transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Minority stress theory posits that transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals exhibit greater rates of depression and suicidality due to internal (proximal) and external (distal) stressors related to their TGD identity. Yet, the magnitude of the relationship between minority stress processes and mental health outcomes has not been quantitatively summarized. The current research meta-analyzed the relationship between minority stress constructs and depression, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempt. Results from 85 cross-sectional quantitative studies indicate that distal stress, expectations of rejection, internalized transphobia, and concealment are significantly associated with increased depression, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempt. Greater effect sizes were observed for expectations of rejection and internalized transphobia when compared to distal stress and concealment. Future research on the relationship between minority stress, depression, and suicide would benefit from longitudinal designs and more diverse and representative samples of TGD individuals.

Psychological Well-Being of Trans* People in Italy During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Critical Issues and Personal Experiences

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic represents risk to physical health and psychological well-being. Specifically, it causes concerns among minoritized communities, such as transgender/non-binary individuals. The study investigates the experience of this group in Italy during the pandemic and identifies risk factors that exerted negative impacts on psychological well-being and physical health.

Methods

The study developed an online questionnaire to investigate psychological status, access to medical health services, and factors such as predictors of risk outcomes among transgender/non-binary people during lockdown restrictions. Responses were collected (n = 256) on April 2020. Descriptive analysis, univariate analysis of variance, and t-test were conducted.

Results

The respondents confirmed several issues, such as worries about the future (58.2%), negative emotions (46.9%), and self-uncertainty (52.7%) during the pandemic. Difficulties in undertaking hormone therapy and access to health facilities were reported. Living with family members represented a significant stressor for psychological well-being, whereas lack of support from LGBT + communities was reported. Subjects undergoing psychological therapy during the pandemic reported increases in depression, anxiety, somatization, and lack of privacy in the household.

Conclusions

The study findings provide a framework for critical aspects experienced by transgender/non-binary individuals during the pandemic. Specifically, the study provides evidence of the vulnerability of this population underlined by multiple difficulties.

Policy Implications

The study findings provide an overview of the experience of transgender and non-binary people during the pandemic, insights regarding risk factors, and aspects that require adequate attention and care.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13178-021-00633-3.