Broadening conceptualizations of trauma among transgender and gender-diverse populations: A meta-analysis of gender minority stress and posttraumatic stress symptoms.

Abstract

Transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) individuals experience disproportionately high rates of discrimination, rejection, and violence (i.e., distal minority stressors). Minority stress theory suggests that experiences of these distal stressors increase mental health risk for TGD populations. Consequently, TGD populations face mental health disparities, including disproportionately high rates of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). Thus, the present study conducted a meta-analysis of the associations between distal minority stressors, as measured by the Gender Minority Stress and Resilience measure (Testa et al., 2015), and PTSS. A comprehensive literature search and study inclusion process following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines identified 13 sources, representing 10 unique samples. Moderate mean effect sizes were found for the associations between PTSS and rejection (r = .39) and violence (r = .36), and a small mean effect size was found for the association between PTSS and discrimination (r = .25). These results highlight the magnitude of the association between distal gender minority stressors and PTSS, particularly for experiences of rejection and violence. In the context of growing anti-TGD legislation and rhetoric, it is critical to better understand the impact of these gender minority stressors on the TGD population. The findings have implications for improving diagnostic procedures and treatment planning for the TGD population to adequately address the unique impact of gender minority stressors on mental health. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).