Predictors of Psychological Well-being in Transgender and Gender Diverse Australians: Outness, Authenticity, and Harassment

Introduction LGBTQIA+ Australians experience disproportionately poor mental health. Openness, or “outness,” about a gay, lesbian, or bisexual identity may improve well-being at the cost of eliciting harassment. The effects of disclosing or concealing a transgender or gender diverse (TGD) identity are scarcely studied. Methods A cross-sectional sample of 202 Australian TGD adults completed an anonymous online survey in 2022. Results A four-factor model of outness, authenticity, age, and harassment accounted for 30% of variance in psychological well-being. Outness about a TGD identity predicted improved psychological well-being; this relationship was partially mediated by feelings of authenticity. Transphobic harassment predicted diminished psychological well-being and was reported frequently by participants, regardless of their outness. The highest rates of harassment were reported by online dating users seeking cisgender men or using Grindr. Conclusions Findings indicate that outness about a transgender identity can predict higher psychological well-being, and that harassment is experienced disproportionately by TGD Australians. Policy Implications Creating safe environments for TGD outness may be instrumental to confronting the community’s ongoing mental health crisis. The disproportionate prominence of harassment faced by TGD individuals should be addressed with legal protections and education reform. Outness about one’s sexual orientation, current gender identity, and sex assigned at birth should all be separated in research and clinical practice.