Differential Experiences of Mental Health among Trans/Gender Diverse Adults in Michigan

Abstract

Transgender and gender diverse individuals experience high rates of health disparities, as compared with their cisgender (non-transgender) counterparts. One area in which these disparities is most grave is that of mental health, with some studies indicating transgender and gender diverse individuals as having a 40% rate of lifetime suicide attempts and similarly high rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. These rates vary further within this population, with differential rates seen across sociodemographic factors, including race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability status, education level, and income. This study explores mental health experiences across different social identities, using data from the 2018 Michigan Trans Health Survey (N = 659), a community-based participatory action research project collected in Michigan, United States, analyzed using chi-square tests of independence and logistic regressions. Findings indicate incredibly high rates of mental health concerns; 72.2% had been diagnosed with depression in their lifetime and 73.0% had been diagnosed with anxiety in their lifetime. In the past year, 49.9% had had non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) thoughts, 45.4% had suicidal thoughts, 26.3% engaged in NSSI, and 7.7% had attempted suicide. Bivariate regressions showed some nuanced experiences of rates of mental health diagnoses and experiences, such as greater odds of experiencing all mental health disparities among those with disabilities, and differential odds across gender in regard to ever having a depression diagnosis, non-suicidal self-injury thoughts and engaging in non-suicidal self-injury behavior. This indicates a need for social workers, counselors, therapists, and other human services professionals to act more intentionally and with an intersectional lens when it comes to exploring the mental health of transgender and gender diverse persons.

Daily Heterosexist Experiences in LGBTQ+ Adults from Spain: Measurement, Prevalence, and Clinical Implications

“…Regarding the second aim of the study, our results corroborated the different rates of prevalence of distal and proximal stressors across different minority sexual orientations and gender identities (Kattari et al, 2020;Schmitz et al, 2020;Shramko et al, 2018;Su et al, 2016). In line with prior literature, our findings suggested that TGD and sexual orientations other than gays or lesbians face greater exposure to heterosexism and cissexism.…”

“…For instance, bisexual men and women have been proven to be at a greater risk of proximal stressors, such as isolation, while gay men and lesbian women are at a greater risk of exposure to distal minority stressors, such as discrimination and rejection (Mereish et al, 2017). Moreover, higher levels of discrimination and distress have been found in transgender and gender diverse individuals (TGD) when compared with cisgender LGB and heterosexual individuals (Kattari et al, 2020;Su et al, 2016;Valentine & Shipherd, 2018;Wiepjes et al, 2020). Additionally, lower levels of discrimination and victimization seem to be common among urban LGBTQ+ individuals when compared to those from suburban and rural backgrounds (Morandini et al, 2015;Shramko et al, 2018).…”

“…Third, this study also sought to examine the predictive value of the DHEQ rates on two mental and behavioral health outcomes, depression and suicidal behavior, after adjusting for identities (e.g., gender identity, sexual orientation, race, and urban-rural residents). It was hypothesized that: 1) the DHEQ would demonstrate its prior documented psychometric strengths (Balsam et al, 2013;Mijas & Kosiara, 2020) for measuring heterosexist experiences among LGBTQ+ adults from Spain; 2) the rate of exposure to heterosexist experiences would vary across social identities, with marginalized identities, such as TGD individuals, those identifying as bisexuals, non-Caucasian individuals, and people residing in rural areas reporting higher levels of mental health outcomes as a consequence of their heterosexist experiences (Tan et al, 2020;Williams et al, 2020); 3) higher risks of depressive symptoms and suicidal behavior would be associated with a greater exposure to distal (e.g., discrimination/ harassment) and proximal (e.g., vigilance) heterosexist experiences, and individuals with diverse social oppressed statuses (e.g., TGD individuals, racial minority groups) would experience higher levels of minority stress and mental health consequences (Kattari et al, 2020;Su et al, 2016;Wiepjes et al, 2020).…”

Increased Prevalence, Predictors, and In-Group Differences of Forced Sex and Physical Dating Violence among Trans/Gender Diverse Youth

“…These findings follow extant research that found in-group differences within the TGD population in mental health (Kattari et al 2020), forced sex (Atteberry-Ash et al 2020), intimate partner violence (Walls et al 2019), and access to health care (Kattari et al 2019). Collectively, this demonstrates the need for surveys and forms to move away from the "man/woman/transgender" model that is so common and toward ones that allow for more nuance both within and across gender.…”

HIV testing among transgender and nonbinary persons in Michigan, United States: results of a community‐based survey

“…The sample for this paper was limited to those self‐reporting having ever been sexually active (yes/no). As described elsewhere [ 30 , 31 ], participants were recruited using convenience methods both online (e.g. Facebook) and in‐person (e.g.…”