Trauma Exposure and Bullying in Transgender and Gender Diverse Youth

• In Event: AERA Graduate Student Research-in-Progress Session 3
  In Roundtable Session: Student Support, Sense of Belonging, and Mental Health Outcomes in Education Contexts (Table 6)

Abstract

In this study, we aim to investigate the mental health outcomes of transgender and gender diverse (TGD) youth, with a specific focus on the intersection of trauma and bullying. TGD youth face an elevated risk of trauma exposure, bias-based bullying, and mental health disparities compared to their cisgender peers. Research shows past trauma exposure can increase disparities in mental health outcomes when exposed to additional psychological stressors and further victimization. Therefore, we believe that disparities in mental health outcomes in TGD youth can be partly explained by trauma responses that leave them unable to cope with distal stressors. Our study seeks to understand how bullying exacerbates the heightened stress levels in TGD youth caused by past trauma exposure.

Author

• Elijah Oyenuga, Boston University