Date of Award

Summer 8-2025

Document Type

Open Access Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Clinical Psychology

First Advisor

David W. Pantalone

Second Advisor

Jae A. Puckett

Third Advisor

Evan Auguste

Abstract

In the United States (U.S.), transgender and gender expansive (TGE) youth experience elevated rates of depressive symptoms, self-harm behaviors, and suicidality compared to cisgender peers. Mental health professionals and researchers often use the gender minority stress model to explain these elevated rates, positing that stressors related to minority identity experienced above and beyond normative daily stress contribute to adverse mental health outcomes. One emerging component of the model requiring further investigation is vicarious minority stress; stress experienced indirectly through witnessing or learning of gender minority stressors affecting other TGD individuals or the community more broadly. The present study explored this concept through semi-structured interviews with seven TGE youth (ages 15-19). Interviews were analyzed using critical-constructivist grounded theory, which resulted in four clusters: (1) TGE youth experience vicarious gender minority stress through witnessing and learning of stressors experienced by other TGE individuals and the community more broadly, (2) TGE youth view vicarious gender minority stressors as impacting their psychological well-being, (3) TGE youth push back against, and cope adaptively with vicarious gender minority stressors, and (4) TGE youth observe that different personal and contextual factors influenced how impacted they were by vicarious gender minority stressors. The core category concluded that TGE youth’s reactions to vicarious gender minority stressors are modulated by context and identity, leading to stress responses and processes of empowerment. These findings deepen current understandings of vicarious minority stressors, elucidate the mechanisms through which they affect TGE youth, and have implications regarding policy and clinical practice for TGE youth.

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