Serial Mediation Analysis of the Association of Familiarity with Transgender Sports Bans and Suicidality among Sexual and Gender Minority Adults in the United States

Jennifer R. Pharr (), Lung-Chang Chien, Maxim Gakh, Jason Flatt, Krystal Kittle and Emylia Terry
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Jennifer R. Pharr: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89119, USA
Lung-Chang Chien: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89119, USA
Maxim Gakh: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89119, USA
Jason Flatt: Department of Social and Behavioral Health, School of Public Health, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89119, USA
Krystal Kittle: Department of Social and Behavioral Health, School of Public Health, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89119, USA
Emylia Terry: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89119, USA

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 17, 1-16

Abstract: Background: Discriminatory laws and policies are a form of structural stigma that is associated with increased suicidality among sexual and gender minority (SGM) people. Unfortunately, in the United States, there has been an increase in state-level discriminatory laws and policies targeting SGM people in 2021 and 2022, particularly, transgender sports bans. The purpose of this study was to (1) determine if familiarity with transgender sports bans was associated with suicidality among SGM adults; and (2) determine if interpersonal stigma and/or individual stigma mediated this association. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of data collected from a national sample of 1033 SGM adults in the United States between 28 January and 7 February 2022. Univariate and serial mediator models were used in this analysis. Results: The increased suicidality was associated with familiarity with state-level transgender sports bans among SGM adults ( p -value = 0.0150). Even after interpersonal and individual stigma mediated this relationship, the association between suicidality and familiarity with state-level transgender sports bans remained ( p -value = 0.0106). Conclusion: State-level transgender sports bans appear to exacerbate existing disparities in mental health, especially for individuals who are familiar with the bans. They directly discriminate against people who are transgender and indirectly stigmatize the broader SGM community.

Keywords: structural stigma; sexual and gender minority adults; suicidality; interpersonal stigma; individual stigma (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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