Effects of state transgender legal protections on perceived community stigma and mental health

OBJECTIVES:  Transgender individuals face compounding stressors that increase their vulnerability to mental illness and suicidality (Bockting, Knudson, & Goldberg, 2006). Whereas these poor mental health outcomes have been associated with events of discrimination and victimization (Rotondi, 2012), less is known regarding the effects of institutionalized stigma. This study explores the relationships between statewide transgender protections, perceived community stigma, and mental health correlates among 120 transgender individuals.

METHODS:  32 transwomen, 37 transmen, and 51 gender-variant participants were extracted from a larger study on LGBT mental health. Covarying for age, we performed an ANCOVA to determine the effect of state legal protections on perceived community stigma. Follow up bivariate analyses were performed to examine the relationships between stigma and depression, anxiety, suicidality, victimization, and discrimination.

RESULTS: Statewide legal protections had a significant effect on perceived community stigma, F(1, 114) = 7.47, p = .007, such that individuals in states without protections reported greater perceived stigma (M = 3.14 versus 2.63). Further, perceived stigma was positively associated with lifetime suicide attempts, r(107) = .19, p = .048, victimization, r(107) = .30, p < .01, and discrimination, r(107) =  0.44, p< .01 

CONCLUSION: Transgender individuals are at the intersection of multiple stigmas; thus, attempts to address these stressors must also be manifold. These data suggest that legal protections are one such channel for indirectly mitigating poor mental health outcomes through the alleviation of stigma at the community level. Implications for public health, administration, and future research will be discussed.