Autonomy Support for Gender Expression and Managing Existential Concerns: An Initial Study Among Transgender Individuals

Abstract

This pre-registered study was conducted online in March 2022 and was designed to (1) test whether individuals who identify as transgender report greater death-thought accessibility (DTA), greater symptoms of post-traumatic stress (PTS), lower meaning in life (MIL), and greater existential isolation (EI) compared to those who do not identify as transgender (i.e., cisgender); (2) examine whether autonomy support and autonomy frustration for gender expression differentially predict these outcomes among transgender individuals; and (3) examine whether perceptions of symbolic immortality mediate these relationships. Results found that transgender (vs. cisgender) participants reported higher DTA, greater PTS, lower MIL, and greater EI. Moreover, among transgender participants, autonomy frustration for gender expression predicted greater PTS, and autonomy support for gender expression predicted both greater MIL and lower EI. Finally, although the indirect effects through symbolic immortality were nonsignificant, autonomy support for gender expression appeared to predict perceptions of symbolic immortality. Implications for transgender people’s mental health and future research directions are discussed.