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ViewAttendees 6

Symposia

LGBTQ+

Session: From Surviving to Thriving: Overcoming Trauma and Minority Stress in Queer Communities

2 - (SYM 28) Biopsychosocial Contributions of Discrimination on Adaptation to Traumatic Stress Among Transgender Adults

Friday, November 17, 2023
12:30 PM – 2:00 PM PST
Location: Skagit (603), Level 6
Transgender individuals are disproportionately burdened by chronic discrimination and traumatic victimization, both of which are associated with disparities in lifetime PTSD prevalence (U.S. general population: 6.8%; transgender samples; 18%-61%). Whereas the majority of transgender individuals demonstrate resilience in a context of pervasive societal oppression, uncovering biopsychosocial mechanisms underlying vulnerability to and protection against chronic trauma-related distress  represents a key research priority. However, the unique and interactive biopsychosocial effects of daily discrimination and trauma exposure are poorly understood, particularly among transgender individuals. This ongoing study fills a substantial gap in the science of adaptation to traumatic stress by examining trajectories and mechanisms of risk and resilience among transgender individuals assessed using a multimethod longitudinal approach. We are recruiting a diverse sample of trauma-exposed transgender individuals in New York City to complete the CAPS-5 and provide a salivary cortisol sample within 1-year of trauma exposure and again at 3, 6, and 12-month followups. For 14-days following these assessment sessions, participants completed daily diary measures assessing degree and type of exposure to daily discrimination. Recruitment and data collection is ongoing. Currently, 46 eligible participants (Mage=31.93 [SD=7.59] years, 58.7% White) have completed the baseline assessment. Among enrolled participants, 52% (n=46) met DSM-5 criteria for PTSD. Hypotheses will be tested with multilevel models that control for comorbid psychiatric disorders and other baseline characteristics. Full sample descriptives and main analyses will be presented. Specifically, we will test the following hypotheses: 1) Participants with greater daily discrimination exposure will report greater PTSD symptom severity and physiological stress responses at follow-up; 2) Physiological stress markers will mediate the conditional effect of discrimination on PTSD symptoms. Final results from the study will have implications for the development of clinical and community-based interventions for trauma-exposed transgender individuals.