Abstract: Depression and Attempted Suicide Among Lgbtq College Students: Fostering Resilience to the Effects of Heterosexism and Cisgenderism on Campus (Society for Social Work and Research 21st Annual Conference - Ensure Healthy Development for all Youth)

Schedule:

Friday, January 13, 2017: 2:45 PM

Balconies K (New Orleans Marriott)

* noted as presenting author

Michael R. Woodford, PhD, Associate Professor, Wilfrid Laurier University, Kitchener, ON, Canada

Genevieve Weber, PhD, Associate Professor, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY

Z. Nicolazzo, PhD, Assistant Profesor, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL

Renee Hunt, MA, PhD Student, Wilfrid Laurier, Kitchener, ON, Canada

Alex Kulick, BA, Graduate Student, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA

Kristen Renn, PhD, Professor, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI

Background and Purpose: Mental health problems are more prevalent among lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans*, and queer (LGBTQ) collegians than their cisgender and/or heterosexual peers. Minority stress theory posits that heterosexism/cisgenderism underpins these disparities. Studies indicate that LGBTQ students experience discrimination, including covert microaggressions and blatant victimization. Although microaggressions are more prevalent, little is known about their effects, especially among trans* collegians.

Minority stress theory also emphasizes resilience to minority-stressors: personal assets and external resources can promote strength in the context of adversity. Researchers have examined resilience among gender and sexual minority collegians; however, more research is needed, especially studies comparing both groups, since protective factors may function differently among each group. It is also important to understand how such factors might have differential buffering affects depending on the type of discrimination experienced (i.e., covert versus overt).

In this study, we examined (1) the associations between mental health (depression; attempted suicide) and various forms of discrimination on campus (environmental and interpersonal microaggressions; victimization); and (2) potential individual-level (psychological resilience; LGBTQ pride; LGBTQ disclosure) moderators of the discrimination-mental health relationship.

Methods: Data were drawn from a national convenience sample of cisgender LGBQ (n=574, 24.9% POC, M=22.74 y/o) and trans* (n=214, 18.7% POC, M=22.83 y/o) collegians who completed a web-based survey. PHQ-9 assessed depression (theoretical range 0–27). Participants indicated attempted suicide (past year; no/yes). Sexual-orientation and trans*specific scales measured the frequency of microaggressions; parallel scales assessed victimization among each group. Psychological resilience (ability to bounce back) was measured using the Brief Resilience Scale. Pride consisted of 2 items and disclosure 6 items. We used multivariable linear and logistic regressions (controls: race, age, gender, sexual orientation) and examined protective factors using moderation. All analyses were group specific (cisgender LGBQ; trans*).

Results: Among the cisgender LGBQ sample, overall depression was M=7.72 (SD=5.83) and nearly 4% reported attempted suicide. In comparison, depression (M=9.20, SD=6.94) and attempted suicide (9.3%) were significantly higher among trans* students. For both groups, environmental microaggressions were most common, followed by interpersonal microaggressions and then victimization.

Among cisgender LGBQ students, when entered in separate models, each discrimination measure was significantly positively associated with depression. Controlling for each type of discrimination, interpersonal microaggressions remained statistically significant. Similar results were observed for attempted suicide. For trans* students, victimization was significantly associated with both outcomes, including in models inclusive of microaggression measures. Neither trans* microaggression measure demonstrated significance in any model.

Psychological resilience demonstrated a main effect with each outcome for both groups, but did not moderate the discrimination-outcome relationship. Pride moderated the victimization-depression relationship among trans* students. No other significant moderations were observed.

Conclusions and Implications: This study extends minority stress theory research by investigating subtle and blatant discrimination, and intrapersonal assets among sexual and gender minority students as separate groups. Results highlight important differences between cisgender LGBQ students and trans* students in terms of risks and protective factors for mental health problems. The findings suggest that interventions must consider differential factors among each population. Implications for research, practice, and policy will be discussed.