Gender Dysphoria and Perceived Social Support: A Matched Case-Control Study

Kaptan, Seven; Cesur, Ender; Başar, Koray; Yüksel, Şahika

doi:10.1016/j.jsxm.2021.01.174

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…In terms of family and peer support and connectedness, failure in communication decreases the sense of connectedness and as well as perceived support. The present findings confirm that family and friends are essential sources of support 8 , 40 and also show the crucial importance of strengthening these support resources. Fish et al 41 showed the importance of online support programs for LGBTQ youth during the COVID-19 pandemic.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

“…In further multivariable analysis, higher social support was found to be a significant predictor of lower anxiety. Similar to the general population, social support is considered an important source of psychological resilience in transgender people, furthermore, it is proposed to have a protective role against the mental health impact of adverse life events including minority stress 8 , 37 , 38 . Our findings support earlier evidence on the effectiveness of social support in dealing with the stressors experienced by transgender youth.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Social support is the feeling of being a valued member of a social network in which one feels cared for and expects to receive help when in need 5 . Many studies have shown that transgender individuals have lower social support than the general population 6 , 7 , 8 . During mass trauma, when a group of people experience the psychological effects of a trauma that was suffered collectively, social support is especially important.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Social Connectedness Matters: Depression and Anxiety in Transgender Youth During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Tüzün

Başar

Akgül

2022

The Journal of Sexual Medicine

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Background Gender-affirming and supportive relations for transgender youth are considered protective in terms of mental health. Aim To describe how transgender youth perceived changes in their gender expression, in the course of the gender-affirming path, and the effect of social connectedness and social support on depression and anxiety during the pandemic. Methods In this cross-sectional study, transgender youth completed an online survey developed to evaluate the perceived changes in gender expression and affirmation path that occurred during COVID-19 and the age-stratified lockdown. Furthermore, we aimed to investigate the effect of social connectedness and social support on depression and anxiety in this population during the pandemic. The participants completed the following scales: Social Connectedness Scale Revised (SCS-R), Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). The effect of lockdown on life conditions, gender expression, social and medical gender-affirming path, social connectedness, social support, depression, and anxiety levels were examined. Linear regression analyses were performed to evaluate the relationships between BDI and STAI scores and other variables. Outcomes The relationship between the levels of perceived social connectedness, and social support, the pandemic-related changes in living conditions and depression and anxiety scores were calculated. Results A total of 49 transgender youth with a mean age of 20.53 ± 1.86 years were enrolled. Participants reporting discomfort at the place they live and who had difficulties concerning gender expression and affirmation had higher depression and anxiety scores and perceived lower social support from their family. Social connectedness score was a significant negative predictor of depression severity, whereas social connectedness and social support were both significant negative predictors of anxiety severity. Clinical Implications Our results show increased adversity for transgender youth when connectedness with supportive people is diminished. During the COVID-19 pandemic, social connectedness and social support perceived by transgender youth are associated with better mental health. Strengths and Limitations This is one of the first studies to evaluate the changes that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic in transgender youth with relation to social support and connectedness, during an age-stratified lockdown. The main limitations were the small study size, skewed gender ratio and that the study sample came from a single gender clinic. Conclusion As social connectedness and social support are significant predictors of depression and anxiety severity, special attention is needed to increase contact and support for transgender youth during the ...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Social Connectedness Matters: Depression and Anxiety in Transgender Youth During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Tüzün

Başar

Akgül

2022

The Journal of Sexual Medicine

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“…Mental health disparities are consistently found such that TGD individuals experience higher rates of depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and suicidal thoughts and attempts compared to cisgender individuals (i.e., a person whose gender identity and sex assigned at birth align; Dragon et al, 2017; Kaptan et al, 2021; Kidd et al, 2023; Pinna et al, 2022). For example, a study of college students found that among TGD students, 33.4% had been diagnosed with or treated for anxiety in the past year and 34.3% had been diagnosed with or treated for depression in the past year (Oswalt & Lederer, 2017).…”

Section: Implications For Practice Policy and Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These rates were higher than for cisgender female students (i.e., 14.1% for anxiety, 12.3% for depression) and cisgender male students (i.e., 6.6% for anxiety, 6.5% for depression). Another study found that 32% of TGD participants had attempted suicide in the past compared to 2% of the matched cisgender group (Kaptan et al, 2021). The National Institutes of Health have identified the gender and sexual minority community as a health disparity population and issued a call for research that examines potential mechanisms that contribute to that risk (National Institutes of Health, 2022).…”

Section: Implications For Practice Policy and Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender Minority Stress and Resilience Measure: A Meta-Analysis of the Associations with Mental Health in Transgender and Gender Diverse Individuals

Wilson,

Newins,

Kassing

et al. 2023

Trauma, Violence, & Abuse

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Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals are more likely to experience mental health difficulties than cisgender individuals due to unique stressors related to their stigmatized gender identity and/or expression. This meta-analysis examined the associations between gender minority stressors and resilience factors, as measured by the Gender Minority Stress and Resilience Measure (GMSR; Testa et al., 2015), and two types of mental health symptoms (i.e., depression and anxiety). A comprehensive literature search and study inclusion process following PRISMA guidelines identified 69 sources, representing 47 unique samples. Mean effect sizes revealed significant positive associations between all GMSR minority stress subscales and anxiety and depression symptoms ( rs = .22 to .40) with larger correlations for proximal stressors compared to distal stressors. The GMSR resilience subscales were significantly negatively correlated with anxiety and depression symptoms ( rs = −.07 to −.16). These findings highlight the robust relationship between gender minority stressors and mental health symptoms among TGD individuals and indicate a need for addressing these stressors both by reducing exposure to external stressors and by addressing the internalization of those stressors in clinical settings. The small effects for the resilience subscales suggest a need to examine additional resilience factors that may be more pertinent to mental health among TGD individuals.

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Validation of Two Measures of Gender Dysphoria/Incongruence in Transgender and Cisgender Populations in China

Zheng

2023

Arch Sex Behav

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Gender Dysphoria and Perceived Social Support: A Matched Case-Control Study

Cited by 6 publications

References 38 publications

Social Connectedness Matters: Depression and Anxiety in Transgender Youth During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Social Connectedness Matters: Depression and Anxiety in Transgender Youth During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Gender Minority Stress and Resilience Measure: A Meta-Analysis of the Associations with Mental Health in Transgender and Gender Diverse Individuals

Validation of Two Measures of Gender Dysphoria/Incongruence in Transgender and Cisgender Populations in China

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