Child Sexual Abuse As a Predictor of Specific and Cumulative Forms of Stigma-Related Victimization Among Transgender Adults in the United States

Background and Purpose. Compared to cisgender individuals, transgender people disproportionately experience high rates of violence across multiple contexts throughout the life course. Child sexual abuse (CSA) has been associated with specific and cumulative forms of violence among the general population, however, these associations have not been examined among transgender adults. This study tests possible associations between CSA victimization and specific and cumulative forms of hate crimes and stigma-related victimization among transgender adults.

Methods. A national probability sample of transgender adults (U.S. Transgender Population Health Survey, 2016-2018) was used for this cross-sectional secondary analysis (N=274). CSA was measured using the child sexual abuse subsection of the Center for Disease Control’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Adverse Childhood Sexual Experience module (CDC BRFSS ACE). Adult experiences of enacted stigma were measured using six questions that assessed experiences of criminal victimization, harassment, and threats.

Results. Nearly half (45%) of transgender adults in our sample reported having experienced CSA victimization, and 40% reported experiencing four or more types of stigma-related forms of victimization as an adult. Compared to transgender adults who have never experienced CSA, transgender adults who had experienced CSA victimization were significantly more likely to have been assaulted, threatened with violence, verbally abused, and assaulted with an object as an adult. Transgender survivors of CSA were also significantly more likely to have experienced four or more forms of stigma-related violence as an adult compared to transgender adults who have never experienced CSA.

Conclusions and Implications. Results of this study suggest that transgender survivors of CSA are at increased risk of specific and cumulative forms of hate crimes and stigma-enacted violence as adults. Future research should explore potential casual pathways between CSA and subsequent experiences of violence among transgender people.