Counseling and Counseling Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Jul 27;18(15):7938. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18157938.
Transgender and gender nonbinary (TGNB) individuals often report higher levels of depression compared to cisgender individuals. Higher levels of depression in TGNB populations may be partially attributed to a lack of family support, which may be particularly salient for younger individuals. However, two possible protective factors that may mitigate depressive symptoms are self-compassion, defined as an attitude of kindness and understanding towards one's own imperfections, and perceived support, especially from family. The present study aimed to explore whether self-compassion was negatively associated with self-reported depressive symptoms, and whether perceived family support moderated this association, especially for younger individuals. Participants who were (1) at least 18 years of age, (2) identified as TGNB, and (3) experienced gender dysphoria were eligible for this study. Cross-sectional data from 148 individuals were collected online during May 2020. In support of the hypotheses, self-compassion was negatively associated with depressive symptoms, and perceived family support furthered this association. Additionally, results showed that younger participants (ages 18-24) with lower family support reported the highest levels of depressive symptoms. Taken together, these results suggest that self-compassion and perceived family support may be significant protective factors against depressive symptoms for TGNB individuals, although longitudinal research is needed. Taking a strengths-based perspective, mental health clinicians working with TGNB individuals may consider interventions geared toward increasing self-compassion in daily life and working with clients' families to increase support.
跨性别和性别非二元（TGNB）个体经常报告比顺性别个体更高水平的抑郁。TGNB 人群中更高水平的抑郁可能部分归因于缺乏家庭支持，这对于年轻个体来说可能尤为突出。然而，两种可能的保护因素可能减轻抑郁症状，即自我同情，将其定义为对自己不完美的一种友善和理解的态度，以及感知到的支持，尤其是来自家庭的支持。本研究旨在探讨自我同情是否与自我报告的抑郁症状呈负相关，以及感知到的家庭支持是否会调节这种关联，特别是对于年轻个体。符合以下条件的参与者有资格参加这项研究：（1）至少 18 岁，（2）被认定为 TGNB，（3）经历性别焦虑。2020 年 5 月，通过在线方式收集了 148 名个体的横断面数据。支持假设，自我同情与抑郁症状呈负相关，而感知到的家庭支持进一步增强了这种关联。此外，结果表明，家庭支持较低的年轻参与者（18-24 岁）报告了最高水平的抑郁症状。综上所述，这些结果表明，自我同情和感知到的家庭支持可能是 TGNB 个体对抗抑郁症状的重要保护因素，尽管需要进行纵向研究。从优势视角出发，与 TGNB 个体合作的心理健康临床医生可能会考虑干预措施，以增加日常生活中的自我同情，并与客户的家庭合作以增加支持。
