University housing reinforces the negative relationship between interpersonal violence, psychological distress, and suicidality in undergraduates, particularly among gender diverse students

Abstract

Objective

To compare academic and mental health outcomes across diverse gender identities in the context of interpersonal violence and campus housing.

Participants

45,549 students from 124 self-selected post-secondary institutions.

Methods

Various academic and health measures from the National College Health Assessment Spring 2017 dataset were analyzed for differences across five gender identities (cis women, cis men, transwomen, transmen, and genderqueer students), and two housing categories (university housing and non-university housing).

Results

When compared to cisgender peers, gender diverse students reported greater experiences of interpersonal violence and higher levels of negative academic and mental health outcomes. Living in university housing was associated with an increase in these disparities.

Conclusions

University housing, which usually reinforces fixed gender binaries, is associated with worse outcomes for gender diverse students. These data can help higher education institutions better understand and address problems that disproportionately impact transgender and gender diverse students, who represent a growing demographic.

Keywords:

• Academic success
• gender
• housing
• interpersonal violence
• mental health
• transgender

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of the United States of America and received approval from the Institutional Review Board of the University of St. Thomas.

Funding

This project was not funded. Data were provided by the ACHA. The opinions, findings, and conclusions presented inthis article are those of the authors, and are in no way meantto represent the corporate opinions, views, or policies of the ACHA. The ACHA does not warrant nor assume any liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information presented in this article.