The Differing Impacts of Discrimination, Victimization, and Rejection on POC and White Transgender and Non-Binary Individuals

Prior research suggests that transgender and non-binary (TNB) individuals experience significant mental health disparities compared to cisgender populations. Minority stress, or the unique stressors that TNB people experience, is a driving force of these health disparities. This study aimed to examine whether TNB People of Color (POC) report stronger impacts from minority stress. More specifically, we examined whether the associations between minority stress (discrimination, rejection, and victimization) and depression were stronger for TNB POC compared to White TNB participants. In this study of 854 TNB adults (average age = 35, 60.9% White), we conducted moderation analyses. We found that the effects of discrimination, victimization, and rejection over the past year were amplified for TNB POC, with increases associated with higher levels of depression. In contrast, there was not a significant association between discrimination, victimization, and rejection over the past year and depression for White TNB participants. In contrast, these two groups were similarly impacted by lifetime rates of discrimination, victimization, and rejection. These findings underscore the urgent need for further research on the compounded effects of minority stress on TNB POC, especially in today's increasingly hostile sociopolitical climate. Methodological improvements, including refined measurement tools and larger, more diverse samples, may provide deeper insights. This study underscores the ongoing need for culturally competent mental health resources and policy interventions to support TNB individuals across diverse racial backgrounds.