A University of Waikato study has found that transgender people who have experienced stigma, including harassment, violence, and discrimination because of their identity are much more likely to have poor mental health outcomes.
Based on the responses of 1,178 people who completed a national Aotearoa/New Zealand survey, the findings published in the International Journal of Transgender Health, also show that over half (51%) of transgender people had been discriminated against for being transgender.
A team of experts from Waikato, and the University of Otago, assessed the results of the 2018 ‘Counting Ourselves’ survey – a nationwide community-based questionnaire of transgender people living in Aotearoa/New Zealand.
Specifically, the team analysed the extent that stigma and discriminatory experiences alongside protective factors such as the support of friends, family, neighbours and communities, are related to the mental health of transgender people in Aotearoa/New Zealand.