The majority of transgender service members in the U.S. military report stigmatizing experiences based on their gender identity, and these experiences are associated with worse mental health, including greater depression, anxiety, and stress, according to a study published in the journal Stigma and Health (Online First Publication — August 22, 2019).
Transgender and gender-diverse civilians face discrimination and stigma across settings, including verbal harassment, employment and housing discrimination, and physical and sexual violence. These experiences place them at risk for socioeconomic disadvantages and adverse health outcomes, although these risks are mitigated in affirming, supportive environments.
Given the vulnerabilities of transgender and gender-diverse persons to stigma and bias, coupled with current policy that prevents many transgender individuals from serving in their affirmed gender, the researchers sought to better understand the experiences of transgender and gender-diverse individuals serving in the U.S. military.
Natasha Schvey and colleagues studied 174 active-duty military service members who identified as transgender or gender diverse. Participants completed anonymous online questionnaires about their gender identity, military service, and mood.
Nearly all participants reported at least one stigmatizing experience in the military due to their gender identity. Many of these experiences pertained to uniform wear, bathroom use, and changing one’s name or gender marker within the Military Health System. More than half had overheard colleagues speaking negatively about them, and just under half had been directly teased or harassed by coworkers, supervisors, or both.
These stigmatizing experiences were associated with worse mental health, including greater depression, anxiety, and stress. Coping with stigma through the use of positive reframing, however, was associated with better mental health.
Participants were also asked to provide examples of the worst stigmatizing experiences they had encountered in the military. They described a range of experiences, from verbal harassment (e.g., “being compared to a pedophile man dressed in women’s clothes”), to being sent back from a deployment despite exceeding performance expectations, to health providers who displayed antitransgender bias.
Others described discomfort or humiliation due to gender-specific uniform or bathroom requirements. For instance, one participant wrote that she was “forced to use the males’ locker room and shower with an entirely female body...This is an unnamable mental torment.”
Though transgender and gender-diverse service members in the current study demonstrated good overall physical and mental health, most also reported stigmatizing experiences in the military that were associated with depression, anxiety, and stress.
Given that social support and culturally sensitive health services may mitigate the risks facing transgender and gender-diverse individuals, future research should assess whether aspects of military culture, such as unit camaraderie and universal health care, may be protective factors. Coping techniques that involve positive reframing may also help to alleviate distress associated with stigma.
Additional research on the health and military readiness of transgender and gender-diverse service members is warranted.
Citation
- Schvey, N. A., Klein, D. A., Pearlman, A. T., Kraff, R. I., & Riggs, D. S. (2019). Stigma, health, and psychosocial functioning among transgender active duty service members in the U.S. military. Stigma and Health. Advance online publication. https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/sah0000190
Note: This article is in the Health Psychology and Medicine topic area. View more articles in the Health Psychology and Medicine topic area.