What is it about?
Transgender, nonbinary, and other gender-diverse individuals, sometimes called gender minorities, experience inequalities in many mental health conditions due to social factors such as stigma and discrimination. Gender minorities who are also older adults may have specific mental health-related concerns that require greater attention. We conducted a systematic review including 31 studies to describe what is known about mental health outcomes among gender minority older adults, as well factors that shape these outcomes. Our review also evaluated the methodological characteristics of included studies and identified gaps for future research to explore.
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Why is it important?
Our review indicates that gender minority older adults face disparities across several mental health outcomes. Studies in our review identified anti-transgender stigma and discrimination, including within healthcare settings, as factors that harm the mental health of this population, while studies described access to social support and affirming health care resources as important protective factors. Clinicians and other service providers can use these findings to better support and advocate for gender minority older adults. Our review also found a need for further research that uses rigorous methods to examine how multiple forms of marginalization interact to impact the mental health of gender minority older adults over time.
Perspectives
Given the ongoing surge in anti-transgender legislation across the United States, it is especially critical to understand how transphobia-related factors impact the mental health of gender minority older adults, who are often overlooked as a specific community. I hope that this review encourages clinicians, policymakers, and researchers to advocate for and with gender minority older adults at the individual, institutional, and structural levels.
Maddie Kerr
Northwestern University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Mental health of gender minority older adults in the United States: A systematic review., Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, February 2024, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/sgd0000708.
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