The Experiences of Trans Youth and the Impact on their Mental Health
- Maddie Barrett
- Apr 2
- 3 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
This week marks the International Day of Transgender Visibility — a timely moment to spotlight research undertaken by the University of Waikato on the mental health of transgender people in Aotearoa.
'It’s how the world around you treats you for being trans’: mental health and wellbeing of transgender people in Aotearoa New Zealand (2022)
(2022). ‘It’s how the world around you treats you for being trans’: mental health and wellbeing of transgender people in Aotearoa New Zealand. Psychology & Sexuality, 13(5), 1109–1121.
Before diving into some of what the research discusses, we thought it would be helpful to give a definition of the term transgender. Transgender is an umbrella term, used to encompass a range of varying gender identities; such as trans men, trans women, and non-binary.
As transgender as a term is quite broad, the authors in this piece were purposeful in usage of the terms used in reference to ethnicity, gender, and age.
Cisgenderism and gender minority stress
"Cisgenderism refers to discriminatory attitudes, policies, and practices against transgender people at systemic level, which may be related to cisnormativity that identifies cisgender people as the dominant, normal, and superior group"
Looking at this definition, we can very easily see how gender minority stress might arise.
Cisgenderism creates prejudice, discrimination and violence, impacting the people affected by it, the ones that don’t fit the mold.
Transgender people face many difficulties in accessing mental health care that is
equitable and knowledgeable despite the importance of these factors. Gender-affirming healthcare is not yet standard, adding to the barriers that exist for transgender people accessing healthcare services.
Research all around the world has demonstrated stark mental health inequities that affect transgender people when compared to someone who is cisgender. In Aotearoa
New Zealand, we don’t have that same kind of research yet, making it harder to know
the impacts in our own communities. Research is also lacking in the investigation of the impact of social factors on mental health outcomes.
In this research the authors explore the impact of environmental factors, like social supports and the mental health needs of transgender people in Aotearoa New Zealand. Through interviewing and survey, the authors gather personal experiences that tell us some of the key struggles of being transgender in Aotearoa.
Results
The authors analysis of their surveys and interviews showed four themes, showing some of the most important factors are for transgender people seeking support. These four factors do tie together, however for now we’ll just have a quick overview of the themes, rather than diving into how they are all interlinked.
Gender-affirming care:
One prevalent issue in Aotearoa New Zealand that was found is the unmet need for gender-affirming health care. Many participants in this study expressed how they had not had the care they needed, along with the negative mental health impacts that they experienced as a result. One participant shared that ‘depression is experienced due to the mismatch between one's physical body and their psychological self-image.’
Currently, trying to take steps as a trans person to feel more comfortable in their body,
is un-affordable and years away within the public health system.
Having information about how this impacts those affected is key to growing an understanding of the transgender experience, and how we can improve.
Mental healthcare service and accessibility
Support for managing mental health struggles is already limited among the general population. Participants in this study were shown to be experiencing higher rates of mental health-related burdens, including suicidal thoughts and attempts. The
options for mental health care are made smaller for transgender people due to limited access to gender-affirming psychological interventions and training for clinicians.
This is added to the struggles that the general population face with long waiting times, and symptoms worsening due to waiting times are all factors that contribute to poor mental health outcomes.
Gender minority stress
Participants talked about their experiences with marginalisation and prejudice in healthcare settings and in their everyday lives. Throughout this study participants link their mental health struggles back to them having to navigate identity in a world that isolates and discriminates against transgender people. As one participant shared, ‘the notion of one's transgender identity being pathological is not true, because it is the
distress and harm caused by the way society treats transgender people. ‘
Self-affirmation and social support
Emerging evidence finds that supportive and affirmative family environments can
mitigate mental health concerns caused by gender minority stress. Participants in this study agree with this finding, sharing personal stories of support from family and the resulting improvement to their mental health. This shows that despite the systemic struggles; there are still ways to support people in our lives trying to navigate
cisgenderism.
Conclusion
The authors of this article are adding to knowledge around transgender identities,
moving us away from the previous world view that being trans and poor mental health are interlinked. This study's findings support how lack of access to educated mental health services and gender minority stress cause these mental health inequities.
Transgender people have greater healthcare needs due to the gender minority stress they experience. Accessing gender-affirming treatment is also challenging for many reasons, like the strain on the system that already exists, and the specific needs of transgender people making their pool of suitable options smaller.
The authors note that the lack of transgender-specific training among mental health professionals is likely to be contributing to the root cause of this problem. Luckily, they provide a variety of suggestions for how to be more inclusive as clinicians, some of which might be helpful for people in other similar support roles.
A personal note from Orla (they/them), Skylight Counsellor.
“Environment can have a huge impact on people’s mental health, so looking at the social impacts that affect the rainbow community, it makes sense why we see such a need.
Young people already have a lot to manage, and this is another thing that transgender people need to navigate alongside that. The more we can understand how people are impacted in Aotearoa, the more we can work with them to create better outcomes.
As someone within the rainbow community, I’m passionate about enacting gender affirming care and standards on a local level. I’m hopeful that over time, this will become the standard.”
Skylight offers knowledgeable and sensitive counselling for youth in Aotearoa. If you, a friend, or someone else you know is struggling with their mental health, please reach out to our counselling team today.
