Piloting a Brief Intervention to Increase Positive Identity and Well-Being in Transgender and Nonbinary Individuals

Young adult trans and nonbinary (TNB) individuals have heightened risk of health disparities (Burgwal et al., 2019), mental health concerns (McCann, 2015), severe discrimination (Lelutiu-Weinberger et al., 2020), and attempted suicide in their lifetime (Adams & Vincent, 2019). There are also positive aspects associated with TNB identities (Matsuno & Israel, 2018; Riggle et al., 2011), including authenticity, self-awareness, and connection to community (Riggle et al., 2011; Riggle & Mohr, 2015). Given the context of stigma and attendant mental health risk, a strengths-based intervention promoting the positive aspects associated with TNB identity may increase well-being and resiliency. We recruited a gender-diverse sample of 11 TNB individuals from Kentucky to pilot an intervention in which individuals participated in a focus group and created a video of personal narratives highlighting their own positive identities. Participants completed measures of positive transgender identity and well-being before and after the project. Findings suggest that participating in the project increased positive identity (authenticity, community, insight) and well-being (happiness, life satisfaction, flourishing). Future research may refine and evaluate specific positive identity-focused interventions to increase well-being for TNB individuals. Public Significance Statement The findings from this pilot study suggest that creating and sharing positive narratives about one's TNB identity may help to increase young adult TNB individuals' positive identity and well-being.