The Gender Minority Stress and Resilience Measure: Psychometric validity of an adolescent extension.

Abstract

Objective: Minority stress contributes to several physical and psychological problems in sexual and gender minorities but is largely understudied in transgender/gendernonconforming (TGNC) individuals, particularly TGNC adolescents. The availability of psychometrically sound measures of adolescent minority stress can help improve assessment and treatment planning in this area. This original research study examined whether an existing measure of TGNC-related minority stress and resilience among adults could retain construct and psychometric validity when administered to TGNC adolescents. Method: Respondents were 258 TGNC adolescents, aged 12 to 17.99 years (M ϭ 15.1, SD ϭ 1.4), majority White/European American (70.2%) and assigned female at birth (71.7%) seeking care in an interdisciplinary gender-health clinic within a pediatric academic medical center in the Midwestern United States. Respondents completed a battery of clinical measures as standard of care, including the Gender Minority Stress and Resilience (GMSR) measure, measures of anxiety and depressive symptoms, and parental support. Results: Findings indicated that minor adaptation of the existing adult measure resulted in high internal consistency and construct validity across 9 subscales assessing domains of minority stress and resilience in this sample of TGNC adolescents. Conclusions: This study provides evidence of the factor structure, reliability, and validity of an adolescent extension of the GMSR (i.e., GMSR-A). These findings demonstrate the clinical utility of the GMSR-A, a tool that can help increase understanding of minority stress and resilience phenomena experienced by TGNC adolescents.

Relationship of Internalized Transnegativity and Protective Factors With Depression, Anxiety, Non-suicidal Self-Injury and Suicidal Tendency in Trans Populations: A Systematic Review

“…Our search identified 14 studies ( Table 4 ) which met our criteria (see Figure 1 ), including a total of 4.913 trans persons ( 17 , 36 – 40 , 42 – 45 , 47 – 50 ). In almost all cases, participants' inclusion was assessed through self-identification as “transgender,” “trans men” or “trans women” ( 17 , 37 – 40 , 42 – 46 , 48 , 50 ).…”

“…Our search identified 14 studies ( Table 4 ) which met our criteria (see Figure 1 ), including a total of 4.913 trans persons ( 17 , 36 – 40 , 42 – 45 , 47 – 50 ). In almost all cases, participants' inclusion was assessed through self-identification as “transgender,” “trans men” or “trans women” ( 17 , 37 – 40 , 42 – 46 , 48 , 50 ). While seven studies included mostly trans women ( 37 , 38 , 40 , 45 – 48 , 50 ), four included more trans men ( 17 , 42 , 44 ) and in one study most participants identified as non-binary [Transgender participants were considered non-binary if they reported a gender identity that was anything other than exclusively male or female, (40, p. 339)].…”

“…In almost all cases, participants' inclusion was assessed through self-identification as “transgender,” “trans men” or “trans women” ( 17 , 37 – 40 , 42 – 46 , 48 , 50 ). While seven studies included mostly trans women ( 37 , 38 , 40 , 45 – 48 , 50 ), four included more trans men ( 17 , 42 , 44 ) and in one study most participants identified as non-binary [Transgender participants were considered non-binary if they reported a gender identity that was anything other than exclusively male or female, (40, p. 339)]. Regarding socio-demographic sample characteristics the studies' samples were predominantly Caucasian ( 17 , 37 – 40 , 42 – 48 ).…”

“…In order to link stigmatization with adverse mental health in trans populations, Hendricks and Testa ( 16 , 17 ) formulated the Gender Minority Stress Model (GMSM) for trans and gender-nonconforming people based on Meyer's Sexual Minority Stress Hypothesis (SMSH) ( 18 , 19 ). The GMSM describes that as a social minority, trans persons are exposed to socially conditioned and structurally enforced stress factors, also called “distal stressors” (i.e., discrimination, rejection and victimization, non-recognition of gender).…”

Transgender identity and mental health in adolescence: a scoping review

“…(33) Even when there is inherent resilience, the effort required to cope with stigma over time may diminish an individual's psychological resources, which may have negative consequences for both their mental and their physical health, according to Hatzenbuehler et al (31) In response to overwhelming evidence of higher observed rates of mental disorders among gay, lesbian and bisexual people compared to heterosexual people, Meyer developed the minority stress theory in 2003 to account for the contributions of stigmaboth enacted and internalized -to mental health for sexual minorities. (34) Meyer's theory, which has recently been adapted to the study of health disparities among gender minorities, (35,36) including transgender adolescents, (37) holds that minorities experience unequal health outcomes because of chronic enacted, internalized and structural stigma experienced alongside other social and structural determinants of health. (38) The theory considers that sexual or gender minority status itself does not confer psychological distress that leads to worse health outcomes.…”