Gender Identity, Discrimination, and Adjustment Among College Students

This research sought to test the notion that the non-cisgender population experiences an inordinate toll in regard to their mental well-being as a result of inaccurate or incomplete classification of their self-identified gender identity among US college students (N = 591). In accordance with the previous literature, the non-cisgender population experienced a significant increase of perceived experience of microaggressions and internalized symptoms. Contrary to expectations, there was no significance found for rates of identity distress. Previous literature did not reflect a significantly lower score of challenging the binary for Caucasians in relation to Hispanic and Asian ethnicities, as this research revealed. This research indicates that while non-cisgender persons do experience higher rates of perceived microaggressions and identity related concerns, there is a previously accounted for variance in ethnicity and cisgender identities (male and female)