Daily Associations Between Minority Stressors and Dissociation for Sexual Minority Women and Transgender/Nonbinary Individuals: The Role of Interpersonal Trauma

Sexual minority women (SMW), transgender, and/or gender-diverse (TGD) individuals experience interpersonal traumatic stressors (e.g., childhood abuse, sexual violence) at higher rates than their cisgender, heterosexual counterparts. This population also experiences ongoing stressors related to their minoritized sexual and gender identities (e.g., stigma, discrimination). Dissociation has been positively associated with trauma exposure-related factors (e.g., trauma type, chronicity, and severity) as well as identity-related stressors (e.g., stigma, discrimination) for sexual and gender minority people. Some research suggests that experiencing dissociation in response to traumatic stressors can result in individuals responding to non-traumatic chronic stressors with dissociation. However, no study has yet examined the link between interpersonal traumatic stressors, ongoing minority stressors, and dissociation for sexual minority women, transgender, and/or gender-diverse individuals using an intensive longitudinal design. Key gaps remain in this area of research, including (1) whether the association between minority stressors and dissociation operates within individuals over time, and (2) whether this association is affected by characteristics of past experiences of trauma. The current study conducted a secondary data analysis of a 14-day daily diary study assessing minority stressors, coping behaviors, and mental health outcomes for trauma-exposed SMW and TGD individuals (N = 57). Multilevel models found that on days participants reported higher minority stress, they also reported higher dissociation. No moderation effects were found for characteristics of past trauma exposure (index trauma onset, trauma chronicity, trauma severity). Implications are discussed for SMW and TGD individuals’ chronic exposure to minority stress and elevations in covarying trauma-related symptoms (i.e., dissociation).