Transgender and Gender-Diverse People's Experiences of Minority Stress, Mental Health, and Resilience in Relation to Perceptions of Sociopolitical Contexts.

Purpose: The sociopolitical context in which transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) people live has significant effects on mental health. We examined whether perceptions of context (TGD people's perceptions of how TGD people were viewed) differed across four United States (U.S.) states and associations with mental health and identity pride, the mediational effects of minority stressors, and potential buffering effects of resilience. Methods: TGD individuals in Oregon, Michigan, Nebraska, and Tennessee (n=158; ages 19-70, mean=33.06) completed questionnaires assessing their perceptions of how TGD people were viewed in their local area and in the U.S., as well as scales assessing minority stressors, pride, resilience, and mental health. Data were collected during Fall 2019 to Spring 2020. Results: Oregon participants viewed perceptions in their state the most positively, with no state-level differences in terms of broader U.S. perceptions. Tennessee participants experienced more expectations of rejection; however, there were no differences across the states in other minority stress variables, identity pride, resilience, or mental health. Participants who viewed their area as having more negative views of TGD people reported higher levels of discrimination, expectations of negative events, internalized stigma, and anxiety, as well as less pride. The effects of perceptions of local context on mental health were partially explained by enacted stigma and internalized stigma. Resilience did not buffer the effects of perceptions of the local context on mental health or pride. Conclusion: Context is important to shaping exposure to minority stressors and mental health, potentially through increasing enacted and internalized stigma.

Gender minority stress and diurnal cortisol profiles among transgender and gender diverse people in the United States.

The field of behavioral neuroendocrinology has only begun to explore the lived experiences of transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people exposed to stigma. In light of escalating attacks and legislation targeting TGD people in the United States, it is crucial to examine the physiological pathways through which gender minority stressors become embodied, impact health, and contribute to health inequities. The Trans Resilience and Health Study included baseline data collection from fall 2019 to spring 2020 from a sample of 124 TGD people, reflecting a diversity of gender identities (e.g., trans masculine, trans feminine, and nonbinary) and ages (range = 19-70 years old; M = 34.10), living in Michigan, Nebraska, Oregon, and Tennessee. These analyses examine experiences of gender-related enacted stigma in association with hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-axis functioning. Among those experiencing the highest levels of enacted stigma, findings show a blunted cortisol awakening response and sluggish daily decline that resulted in elevated concentrations at bedtime compared to those experiencing less enacted stigma. These results of flattened diurnal activity are consistent with an emergent literature on discrimination as a social determinant of potential stress pathophysiology. In contrast, community connectedness was associated with a larger, more dynamic cortisol awakening response. These findings emphasize the importance of incorporating gender-minority stress and resilience measures when studying HPA-axis functioning among TGD people.