Punjab Institute of Mental Health, Lahore 54000, Pakistan.
Department of Professional Psychology, Bahria University, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Aug 29;18(17):9109. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18179109.
Groups marginalized and/or isolated by minority status-including transgender individuals-are at significant risk for loneliness and diminished quality of life (QoL), effects that can be mitigated to some extent by coping styles. In this study, we examined the relationships among coping styles, loneliness, and QoL outcomes in a marginalized but understudied gender minority group, namely, 200 transgender individuals living in communities in an emerging/developing non-Western geo-cultural region of South-Central Asia (Pakistan), comparing them against a reference group of 100 heterosexual cisgender individuals. Results indicated strong relationships among coping styles, loneliness, and QoL in both transgender and cisgender groups. Moderating variable analysis revealed that coping skills-whether adaptive or maladaptive-help explain differences in loneliness and QoL not only between trans- and cis-gender individuals, but also within just the transgender group. The implications of these findings for intervention strategies to improve QoL among transgender populations are discussed, with reference to both the specific context within Pakistan and the larger context of transgender marginalization within many developing/emerging countries.
群体边缘化和/或隔离的少数群体地位，包括跨性别者，处于孤独和生活质量（QoL）下降的显著风险之中，这些影响在一定程度上可以通过应对方式来减轻。在这项研究中，我们研究了应对方式、孤独感和生活质量结果之间的关系在一个边缘化但研究不足的性别少数群体中，即生活在南亚中南部新兴/发展中非西方地缘文化地区的 200 名跨性别者，将他们与 100 名异性恋顺性别者参考组进行了比较。结果表明，在跨性别者和顺性别者群体中，应对方式、孤独感和生活质量之间存在很强的关系。调节变量分析表明，应对技巧——无论是适应性的还是不良的——不仅有助于解释跨性别者和顺性别者之间的孤独感和生活质量差异，也有助于解释跨性别者群体内部的差异。这些发现对改善跨性别者群体生活质量的干预策略具有启示意义，既考虑到巴基斯坦的具体情况，也考虑到许多发展中国家/新兴国家跨性别者边缘化的更大背景。
