The buffering role of social support on the associations among discrimination, mental health, and suicidality in a transgender sample

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Per the minority stress framework, trans individuals often experience psychological distress given the unique stress engendered by gender identity–related discrimination. Prior research has identified social support as particularly important for psychological distress and has suggested that social support may moderate this relationship. The purpose of the current study was to explore the patterns of connections among discrimination, mental health, and suicidal ideation in trans individuals and whether social support moderates these relationships. Methods: Participants (N = 78) completed measures of these constructs as part of a national online survey. Results: A series of simultaneous multiple regressions found that harassment/rejection discrimination was a unique positive predictor of mental health symptoms and suicidal ideation, with depression positively predicting suicidal ideation. A mediational model indicated that the association between harassment/rejection discrimination and suicidal ideation was fully mediated by depression. Three moderated meditational models were run, and one yielded a significant interaction, such that discrimination predicted suicidal ideation most strongly when participants had low social support from a significant other in comparison to participants who had moderate or high support. Further, conditional direct effects identified that discrimination led to ideation only for individuals with low support from friends or a significant other but not for those with moderate or high support. Conclusions: Helping trans individuals cope with harassment and rejection, particularly by drawing on social support, may promote better mental health, which could help reduce suicidality in this population.

Keywords:

• Discrimination
• mental health
• social support
• suicide

Funding

Funding was provided by the National Center for Research Resources (Grant ID: UL1TR000058) and the National Science Foundation (Grant ID: DGE-1147383).

Note

Notes

1. In this article, trans refers to the range of persons who identify or present as transgender or gender nonconforming.