Social Support and Internalizing Psychopathology in Transgender Youth

Lily Durwood, Léïla Eisner, Kaitlyn Fladeboe, Chonghui Ji, Samantha Barney, Katie A. McLaughlin, Kristina R. Olson

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

41 Scopus citations

Abstract

Although increasing numbers of children have socially transitioned to live in line with their gender identities, little is known about factors associated with their wellbeing. This study examines the associations between parent-reported family, peer, and school support for a youth’s gender identity, as well as an objective measure of state-level support, with parent-reported internalizing symptoms in 265 transgender youth (67.2% transgender girls, 32.8% transgender boys), ages 3–15 years (M = 9.41, SD = 2.62). Parents who reported higher levels of family, peer, and school support for their child’s gender identity also reported fewer internalizing symptoms; the objective measure of state-level support was not related to internalizing symptoms. Additionally, peer and school support buffered against the association between gender-related victimization and internalizing symptoms, as reported by parents. This work demonstrates that even among transgender youth with families who supported their transitions, parents see better well-being in their children when they also see more support for the child’s gender identity from family, peers, and schools.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)841-854
Number of pages14
JournalJournal of Youth and Adolescence
Volume50
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2021
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Social Psychology
  • Education
  • Developmental and Educational Psychology
  • Social Sciences (miscellaneous)

Keywords

  • Internalizing psychopathology
  • LGBT youth
  • Social support
  • Stress buffering
  • Transgender

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