Suicidality, gender identity-related stressors, and psychological flexibility among transgender and non-binary adults

Abstract

Transgender and nonbinary (TGNB) individuals are at increased risk for suicidality, with gender identity-related distal (i.e., external) and proximal (i.e., internal) stressors (e.g., discrimination and internalized cissexism) potentially contributing to risk. Psychological flexibility and inflexibility have served as protective and risk factors for suicidality among the general population but has yet to be investigated among TGNB individuals and their unique stressors. The current study examined whether psychological flexibility and inflexibility moderated the relationship between minority stressors and suicidality. Participants (n = 333) were recruited from Reddit, Facebook, and organizations that serve gender diverse individuals. Psychological flexibility and inflexibility did not moderate relationships between stressors and suicidality. Exploratory analyses demonstrated that psychological inflexibility contributed to the prediction of suicidality over and above stressor and demographic variables, supporting its importance in a TGNB population. Implications of findings are discussed.