Transgender community belongingness as a mediator between strength of transgender identity and well-being.

Abstract

This study examined transgender community belongingness as a mediator between strength of transgender identity and well-being. A total of 571 transgender adults (n = 209 transgender women, n = 217 transgender men, and n = 145 nonbinary-identified individuals) completed an online survey assessing transgender community belongingness, strength of transgender identity (operationalized as the extent to which a person self-categorizes their identity as transgender and the extent to which they believe their gender transition to be important to their self-definition), and well-being (using measures of self-esteem, satisfaction with life, and psychological well-being). Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. When controlling for participants' income, age, and stage of gender transition, transgender community belongingness fully mediated the relationship between strength of transgender identity and well-being. Strength of transgender identity was indirectly and positively related to well-being through community belongingness, but was not directly related to well-being. Results suggest that transgender community belongingness is an important construct in the mental health of transgender people. The strength of a person's transgender identity also appears to be a significant construct in transgender people's well-being via its relationship with transgender community belongingness. Implications of the findings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record

Longitudinal associations of sexual fluidity and health in transgender men and cisgender women and men.

“…For individuals in either situation, movement toward either a sexual minority identity for a heterosexually-identified individual or movement toward a heterosexual identity for an individual with a sexual minority identity may change access to community support and resources, which may negatively affect health. Indeed, previous research has found that group affiliation is protective against adverse mental health for transgender individuals (Testa, Jimenez, & Rankin, 2014; White Hughto, Reisner, & Pachankis, 2015), and that transgender community belongingness is important for the mental health of transgender individuals (Barr, Budge, & Adelson, 2016). Therefore, movement away from LGBQ community, and the support associated with membership in that community, may be particularly detrimental to health for transgender men.…”

Discrimination and resilience and the needs of people who identify as Transgender: A narrative review of quantitative research studies

“…In two studies, greater levels of social support and quality relationships led to better coping and enhanced mental health (Budge et al., ; Dargie et al., ). One study that investigated community belongingness (Barr et al., ) helped to confirm the theory that shared social connectedness with community members is a crucial factor in experiencing a sense of identity and support. People who strongly identify as transgender had a greater sense of “belongingness” through a shared social connectedness with transgender community members and felt “greater well‐being” (Barr et al., ).…”

“…It is also evident from this review that many transgender people experience mental illness by way of depression and anxiety disorders, with scope for effective assessment and treatment of these conditions, with an associated positive impact on both mental health and well‐being and community engagement (Barr et al., ). Practitioners should therefore be more therapeutically affirmative in their approach and examine their own prejudices and beliefs.…”

“…A score of 17 and above, demonstrating the overall quality of the study, was achieved by nine of the studies (Bariola et al., ; Boza & Perry, ; Budge, Adelson, & Howard, ; Fredriksen‐Goldsen et al., ; Gamarel, Reisner, Laurenceau, Nemoto, & Operario, ; Gonzalez, Bockting, Beckman, & Durán, ; Nuttbrock et al., ; Rotondi et al., ; Yang et al., ). A total of seven studies scored between 14–16, indicating shortcomings in relation to clarity of aims, data collection methods, research relationships considered and ethics considerations (Barr, Budge, & Adelson, ; Bockting, Miner, Swinburne Romine, Hamilton, & Coleman, ; Dargie, Blair, Pukall, & Coyle, ; Lombardi, ; Nuttbrock, Bucketing, & Rosenblum, ; Shipherd, Maguen, Skidmore, & Abramowitz, ; Strain & Shuff, ). The remaining three studies received scores of below 14, due to limited information that impacted on the quality, and were related to the aims, ethics and clarity and detail of findings (Bradford, Reisner, Honnold, & Xavier, ; Cruz, ; Sánchez & Vilain, ).…”

A review of contemporary assessment tools for use with transgender and gender nonconforming adults.

“…The TCB, also developed by Barr and colleagues (2016), assesses how connected an individual is to the transgender community. The TCB helps clinicians and researchers understand the social connectedness and support that the individual has for their transgender identity.…”