1. Exploring well-being, self-harm and suicidality among transgender people
- Author
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Ballantyne, Lisa
- Subjects
306.76 ,BF Psychology - Abstract
Purpose: Transgender individuals are substantially more likely to report self-harm and suicidality than both cisgender individuals and other LGBT individuals. The psychosocial factors underlying self-harm and suicidality within the trans population, and how they may lead to suicidal ideation or attempts, remain largely under-researched. Protective factors, such as resilience and help-seeking may help to reduce risk of suicide within the trans population, however further research is required to examine these processes. Similarly, exploring trans-specific experiences of help-seeking for suicidal distress is important when considering suicide prevention. Further empirical research, aimed at improving our understanding and prevention of suicide within this population, is imperative. Method: A qualitative design was used. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with transgender adults (n=4) in Scotland, who reported a history of self-harm and/or suicidality. Interviews were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Results: Four superordinate themes emerged, each with inter-related subordinate themes. 1) “Early Experiences”: How individuals made sense of early experiences which increased their self-harm and suicidal distress. 2) “Intent”: The motives underlying participants’ self-harm and suicidality. 3) “Hope and Resilience”: The protective resilience factors that reduced participants’ self-harm and suicidal distress. 4) “Threats to Resilience”: How participants made sense of additional minority stressors that were relevant to their experiences. Conclusion: The current study suggests that transgender individuals may experience psychosocial factors related to self-harm and suicidality differently across various stages of their lives. Important insights into the motivations underlying self-harm and suicidality for transgender individuals emerged. Clinical implications are discussed, however further research is required to fully understand self-harm and suicidality within the transgender community.
- Published
- 2020
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