Resilience and collective action: Exploring buffers against minority stress for transgender individuals.

Abstract

With a national sample of 552 transgender adults, the present study tested hypotheses drawn from minority stress theory and positive psychology research on stress-ameliorating processes. Specifically, the present study examined the relations of minority stressors (i.e., antitransgender discrimination, stigma awareness, and internalized transphobia) and individual-and group-level buffers (i.e., resilience and collective action) of minority stress. As expected, each minority stressor was positively correlated with psychological distress. In terms of buffers, resilience-though not collective action-was negatively correlated with psychological distress. Additionally, stigma awareness-but not internalized transphobia-mediated the relation of antitransgender discrimination with higher psychological distress. Moderation analyses indicated that resilience did not moderate any of the relations of the minority stressors with psychological distress. However, contrary to prediction, collective action strengthened the positive relation of internalized transphobia with psychological distress. Furthermore, at high levels of collective action, internalized transphobia became a significant mediator of the discrimination-distress relation. Strategies for developing individual (e.g., resilience building strategies) and group-level (e.g., engagement in collective action) interventions targeted toward transgender individuals who experience discrimination are discussed.

The minority strengths model: Development and initial path analytic validation in racially/ethnically diverse LGBTQ individuals

“…Increased social support and self‐esteem also bolstered resilience. Resilience has been shown to protect against psychological distress in the face of minority stressors (Breslow et al, ), and as identified in this study, may promote positive mental and behavioral health. This body of work along with the present findings highlight the importance of a positive support system from family, friends, and significant others to foster a sense of pride, self‐worth, resilience, and positive mental and physical health.…”

“…Increased social support and self-esteem also bolstered resilience. Resilience has been shown to protect against psychological distress in the face of minority stressors (Breslow et al, 2015), and as identified in this study, may promote positive mental and behavioral health.…”

“…This study highlights individual pathways to resilience and the navigation of hostile social environments by LGBTQ individuals (Asakura & Craig, ). Among LGBTQ individuals, resilience helps to buffer the relationship between minority stressors and psychological distress (Breslow et al, ).…”

“…Self‐esteem has also been associated with increased positive health behaviors (Antonucci, Peggs, & Marquez, ; Lu, Li, Wang, Song, & Liu, ), and a likely mechanism could be mental health. From this framework and the key variables identified in the previous empirical literature, it is therefore hypothesized that social support and community consciousness (Herek & Glunt, ) lead to identity pride (Dunn & Burcaw, ), which leads to self‐esteem (Swann & Spivey, ), resilience (Breslow et al, ), positive mental health (Srivastava, ), and finally to health‐promoting behaviors (Yarcheski et al, ). It is also hypothesized that all possible indirect effects on the minority strengths model will be statistically significant.…”

Transgender Noninclusive Healthcare and Delaying Care Because of Fear: Connections to General Health and Mental Health Among Transgender Adults

“…32 Additional stressors include perceived transgender stigma, 33,34 internalized transphobia, 34,35 gender-related rejection and victimization, 31 nonaffirmation of gender identity, 27,36 and nondisclosure of transgender identity. 34 …”