Differences in the role of Anticipated Discrimination and Social Support in the Relationship with Depression for TGNC and non-TNGC sexual minorities

Gender minorities and sexual minorities have been historically under researched in the field of psychology. This becomes more so the case when looking at the intersections of those who identify as both gender and sexual minorities. Prior research has indicated that minority stress models have been shown to be linked to disparities in mental health between sexual minorities and non-sexual minorities. This has also been shown to be true between gender minorities and cis gender individuals. Little research has ever been done to establish this model on those who fall within both minority groups and how these models may differ. The present study attempts to look at this intersection by comparing a mental health and minority stress model – comprised of anticipated discrimination, social support, and depression – for those identifying as a gender and sexual minority to those who identify as purely sexual minorities. In order to do this, participants (N = 315) were recruited from social media and were given a series of surveys. All participants identified as sexual minorities and 53% (n = 167) identified as Transgender or Gender Non-Conforming (TGNC). The cross-sectional, online quantitative study featured a battery of surveys that measured anticipated discrimination in both major and every day events, LGBT community connectedness, depression, and anxiety. A mediated moderated model and a series of t tests were performed to analyze the differences between sexual and gender minorities versus sexual minorities only. Results indicated that TGNC individuals had significantly higher levels of anticipated discrimination (M = 3.56, SD = .86 compared to M = 3.30, SD = .92), lower levels of social support (M = 4.66, SD = 1.26 compared to M = 5.20, SD = 1.24), and higher levels of depression (M = 31.81, SD = 12.97 compared to M = 25.32, SD = 12.80). Further, anticipated discrimination and fewer support resources explain the increase in depression for TGNC individuals (bootstrapped indirect effects = -.4111 SE = .1720 95%CI = -.8675, -.1634). Overall TGNC individuals showed to have worse experiences and outcomes than their gender conforming, cisgender peers. These results may suggest that future counselling methods for TGNC individuals could benefit by focusing on fostering social support through methods such as interpersonal psychotherapy