Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in the Transgender Community

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) has been increasing in clinical as well as non- clinical populations in recent years. There are few published reports of the investigation of this behavior in the transgender community. An online and paper and pencil survey was administered to transgender individuals over the course of six months. A total 977 people responded to the survey. Results indicated that 41.8 percent of the participants have a history of engaging in non-suicidal self-injury. Self-injury rates were significantly higher among female-to-male (FTM) participants than among male-to-female (MTF) participants. Further, individuals who have been prevented from transitioning were more likely to engage in self-injury than those who have not been prevented. Results support the idea that those who engage in self-injury have, or could have co-occurring mental health concerns, specifically anxiety and depression. Additionally the constructs of protection and feeling from the Body Investment Scale were found to be predictive of self-injury in the transgender community. These research findings shed new light on the patterns and prevalence of NSSI in the transgender population and will inform the practice of mental health professionals who work with transgender clients. Limitations of the study include the use of the Internet for survey research and the self-report study design

Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in a Large Online Sample of Transgender Adults

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) has been increasing in clinical as well as nonclinical populations in recent years. There are few published reports examining lifetime occurrence of this behavior in transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) people. An online survey was conducted with self-identified TGNC adults (n = 773) in the United States over the course of 6 months in 2009. The mean age for the sample was 40.4 years (SD = 13.9). Most participants identified on the trans masculine spectrum (female-to-male or FTM; 52.0%), 33.9% identified on the trans feminine spectrum (male-to-female or MTF), and 8.0% identified as genderqueer. Participants completed the Body Investment Scale, the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales, and the Inventory of Statements about Self-Injury. Results indicated that 41.9% of participants had a lifetime history of NSSI. Scores on the subscales of Protection and Feeling from the Body Investment Scale were found to be statistically predictive of NSSI. These findings shed new light on the lifetime prevalence of NSSI in this online TGNC respondent sample. Practice implications are discussed for mental health professionals who work with TGNC clients in addition to research recommendations

Career Decision Self‐Efficacy of Transgender People: Pre‐ and Posttransition

Although the mental health needs of transgender and gender‐nonconforming (TGNC) people have recently been addressed more directly than in the past (Bockting, Miner, Swinburne Romine, Hamilton, & Coleman, 2013; dickey, Reisner, & Juntunen, 2015; Meier, Pardo, Labuski, & Babcock, 2013), there remains a dearth of information related to vocational development of this population. Some of the considerations in career counseling and vocational development among TGNC people include differences in developmental concerns related to gender transition, gender presentation, passing (e.g., being perceived by others in one\u27s affirmed gender), and binary and fluid gender identities (Beemyn & Rankin, 2011; Harrison, Grant, & Herman, 2012). In the present study, we consider gender transition with regard to career decision self‐efficacy (CDSE) among TGNC people pre‐ and posttransition