Open AccessTransgender Resiliency: A Comparison of Transgender and Cisgender Therapy Clients’ Family Functioning and Psychological Symptomology
Author(s) -
Deborah Coolhart,
Aníbal Torres Bernal,
Kimdy Le
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
counseling and family therapy scholarship review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2576-926X
DOI - 10.53309/nphn6327
Subject(s) - transgender , stressor , psychology , clinical psychology , psychological resilience , population , coping (psychology) , mental health , medicine , psychotherapist , psychoanalysis , environmental health
Existing literature often suggests transgender people face increased vulnerabilities in comparison to cisgender people and poorer mental and physical health outcomes. However, studies are increasingly exploring resilience of transgender people and factors contributing to positive coping. The current study compared transgender to cisgender clients at a University-based couple and family therapy center on self-reported psychological symptomology and family functioning. Transgender individuals did not differ significantly from cisgender individuals on family functioning, however transgender individuals reported significantly fewer symptoms on all twelve subscales of psychological symptomology, despite lower income and lower levels of education. Results suggest transgender individuals may develop unique traits or processes allowing them to more effectively cope with stressors, supporting the presence of resiliency in this population.