Year: 2020
Type: article
Abstract: Not all students make a successful transition to college, putting their degree completion at risk. The gender minority stress model (Testa et al., 2015) posits that gender minority students may especially struggle with the transition to college due to unique stressors, such as greater violence and lower perceptions of safety. This study utilized seven semesters of data (Fall 2015- Fall 2018) from the National College Health Assessment-IIc (NCHA-IIc; N=241,171) to examine the relationship between gender and college adjustment (operationalized as emotional distress). Mediation analysis explored if this relationship was influenced by the experiences of stressors. A moderation model investigated the relationship between campus residency, emotional distress, and stressors. Lastly, trends for emotional distress and stressors were examined for stability across semesters. Results indicated transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) students experience higher levels of emotional distress and stressors than their cisgender peers. Furthermore, although living on campus provided a greater feeling of safety for all, TGNC students and cisgender women who lived on campus reported higher levels of emotional distress. TGNC students reported high, yet stable levels of emotional distress and stressors across semesters. A sensitivity analysis examined the relationship between gender, emotional distress, and stressors by parceling TGNC students by congruence between sex assigned at birth and current gender identity. This study contributes to the field of college adjustment by addressing disparities of gender minorities and by examining distinctions between TGNC students who experience congruence and those who are not. Included are theoretical implications and recommendations for future research.
Author: Rebecca Witt Meacham
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W3110343112