 |
The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
|
The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
JoAnne Keatley, MSW, Tooru Nemoto, PhD, Don Operario, PhD, and Toho Soma, BA. Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, University of California, San Francisco, 1145 Bush Street, Second Floor, San Francisco, CA 94109, (415) 476-2364, jkeatley@psg.ucsf.edu
Two studies examine the relationship between psychological vulnerability among Male-to-Female (MTF) transgenders and socially oppressive and stigmatizing forces targeted toward people with non-conventional gender identities, referred to as transphobia. Study 1 presents qualitative findings that describe a range of adverse mental health outcomes among MTF transgenders, as well as the oppressive social context that elicits negative psychological responses. Study 2 presents quantitative findings on mental health and transphobia from a multiethnic (African American, Latina, and Asian and Pacific Islander) community sample of MTF transgenders. Findings reveal heightened levels of depression throughout the sample, highest among Latinas, and alarming rates of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts throughout the sample, highest among African Americans. Findings also show that experiences of transphobia predict depression, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts, controlling for the effects of ethnicity, age and income. Considerations for enhanced psychological services for MTF transgenders are offered, with an example from a new community-based mental health intervention targeting the MTF transgender community in San Francisco.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Special Populations,
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.