Increased vulnerability to psychological distress and suicidal ideation among transgender women with self-reported disabilities in San Francisco, California
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: Research among transgender women has found health, but especially mental health, to be shaped by social inequities and multiple, intersectional, structural vulnerabilities. While some studies have shown that transgender adults are also more likely to have a disability than cisgender adults, few studies have explored this intersection. We assess possible associations between disability status and psychological stress and suicidal ideation among transgender women. METHODS: We analyzed data from the San Francisco site of the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance Transgender (NHBS-Trans) Study (2019-2020) to explore how disability status among transgender women influences mental health. Chi-squared and Fisher's exact tests to assess associations between disability status and psychological distress. Multivariable logistic regression models assessed the magnitude of these associations adjusted for potential confounders. RESULTS: = 201) reported living with one or more disabilities. Participants with 1+ disabilities had more than 10 times the odds of reporting high levels of psychological distress (aOR 10.46, 95 % CI 3.06-35.74) and more than five times the odds of reporting suicidal ideation (aOR 5.83, 95 % CI 1.69-20.15) compared to those with no disabilities. Participants with 2+ disabilities had 10+ times the odds of reporting suicidal ideation compared to participants with no disabilities (aOR 10.77, 95 % CI 2.94-39.51). CONCLUSIONS: Transgender women living with disabilities face multiple intersecting inequities likely attributable to living in a world that is not built for them on the basis of gender identity and disability status. The resulting psychological distress, alongside transphobia and ableism, can exacerbate mental health issues.
Source: Preventive Medicine Reports
Authors: Abtin Shafie, Alexis Salvatore, Riley Shea, Eileen Yu, Oyku Ozyucel, Ansharan Akbar, Bow Suprasert, Erin C. Wilson, Willi McFarland, Kelly D. Taylor, Sean Arayasirikul
Institutions: University of California, Riverside, San Diego State University, University of San Francisco, University of California, Irvine, University of California, Los Angeles, University of Maryland, College Park, San Francisco Department of Public Health, University of California, San Francisco
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,610
Awards: G1428886507, G5752274159, G7422869494
OpenAlex ID: W4409783380