Mental Health Support for Transgender and Gender-expansive Individuals

Participants will complete the Overall Depression Severity & Impairment Scale (ODSIS) to assess past-week frequency, severity, and impairment related to depression symptoms. The ODSIS is comprised of five items (e.g., "In the past week, how often have you felt depressed?") each measured on a five-point scale ranging from 0 (no depression in the past week) to 4 (constant depression: felt depressed all of the time). Item scores will be summed to obtain a total score ranging from 0 (min) to 20 (max), with a higher total score indicating greater depressive symptoms (worse outcome).

Participants will complete the Overall Anxiety Severity & Impairment Scale (OASIS), which is comprised of five items (e.g., "In the past week, how often have you felt anxious?") measured on a five-point scale ranging from 0 (no anxiety in the past week) to 4 (constant anxiety: felt anxious all of the time and never really relaxed). Item scores will be summed to obtain a total score ranging from 0 (min) to 20 (max), with a higher total score indicating greater anxiety symptoms (worse outcome).

Psychological distress will be assessed using the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) consisting of 18 items scored from 0 (not at all) to 4 (extremely) regarding the extent to which depression symptoms (e.g., "feeling hopeless about the future"), anxiety symptoms (e.g., "feeling tense or keyed up"), and somatization symptoms (e.g., "feeling weak in parts of your body") have distressed the respondent over the past week. Item scores will be averaged to obtain a total score ranging from 0 (min) to 4 (max), with a higher total score indicating greater psychological distress (worse outcome).

The Suicidal Ideation Attributes Scale (SIDAS) will assess participants' past-month suicidal thoughts and severity on a ten-point scale ranging from 0 (never or not at all) to 10 (always or extremely). Participants who report no ideation (score of 0) in response to the first item ("In the past month, how often have you had thoughts about suicide") are not presented with subsequent four items regarding the severity of these thoughts and their total score will be recoded as 0. Total scores are calculated as the sum of the five items, with the controllability item reverse scored (i.e., original score of 10 reverse scored as 0, original score of 9 reverse scored as 1, …, original score of 0 reverse scored as 10). Total scores range from 0 (min) to 50 (max), with a higher total score indicating greater suicidal ideation (worse outcome).

The three-item Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT-C) will capture frequency of drinking over the past year (e.g., "How often during the past year did you have a drink containing alcohol?"), with response options between 0 (never) and 4 (four or more times per week). Item scores are summed to obtain a total score ranging from 0 (min) to 12 (max), where scores of 0 reflect no alcohol use. The higher the total score, the more likely it is that the respondent's drinking is affecting his/her health and safety (a worse outcome).

Responses to each item on the 9-item Negative Expectations for Future Events subscale of the Gender Minority Stress and Resilience Measure (GMSR) are scored on a five-point scale from 0 (strongly disagree) to 4 (strongly agree). An example item includes: "If I express my gender history, employers would not hire me." The items will be summed to obtain a total score ranging from 0 (min) to 36 (max), with a higher total score indicating greater fear of future rejection based on gender identity (worse outcome).

The eight items of the Internalized Transphobia subscale of the Gender Minority Stress and Resilience Measure (GMSR) are each scored on a five-point scale from 0 (strongly disagree) to 4 (strongly agree). An example item includes: "I resent my gender identity or expression." Item scores will be summed to produce a total score ranging from 0 (min) to 32 (max), where a higher total score indicates greater internalized transphobia (worse outcome).

The 15-item Gender Identity Reflection and Rumination Scale (GRRS) assesses the extent to which respondents think about their gender identity in various ways. Responses to items are scored on a four-point scale from 1 (almost never) to 4 (almost always). An example item is: "Analyze how my experience of my gender identity shapes who I am." Item scores are summed to obtain an overall score ranging from 15 to 60, where a higher total score indicates more rumination (worse outcome).

Responses to the eight items that make up the Pride subscale of the Gender Minority Stress and Resilience Measure (GMSR) are scored on a five-point scale from 0 (strongly disagree) to 4 (strongly agree). An example item is: "My gender identity or expression makes me feel special and unique." Item scores will be summed to produce an overall score ranging from 0 (min) to 32 (max), where a higher overall score indicate greater pride in one's gender identity (better outcome).

Responses to items on the five-item Community Connectedness subscale of the Gender Minority Stress and Resilience Measure (GMSR) are scored on a five-point scale from 0 (strongly disagree) to 4 (strongly agree). An example item is: "I feel part of a community of people who share my gender identity." Item scores will be summed to produce a an overall score ranging from 0 (min) to 20 (max), where a higher overall score indicates greater connectedness with people who share one's gender identity (better outcome).

The 18-item Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale-Short Form (DERS-SF) assessed frequency of emotion dysregulation on a five-point scale from 1 (almost never) to 5 (almost always). An example item is: "When I'm upset, I acknowledge my emotions." Item scores are averaged to produce an overall score ranging from 1 (min) to 5 (max), where a higher overall score indicates greater difficulties regulating emotions (worse outcome).

The 12-item Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) assesses perceived support from family, friends, and significant others on an seven-point scale from 1 (very strongly disagree) to 7 (very strongly agree). An example item is: "There is a special person who is around when I am need." Item scores are averaged to obtain an overall score ranging from 1 (min) to 7 (max), where a higher overall score indicate greater social support (better outcome).

The 19-item Simple Rathus Assertiveness Schedule-Short Form (SRAS-SF) assesses respondents' assertive and unassertive behavior on a six-point scale from 1 (very uncharacteristic of me) to 6 (very characteristic of me) with certain items reverse scored. An example item is: "I strive to get ahead as much as other people in my position." Item scores will be summed to obtain a total score from 19 (min) to 114 (max), where a higher total score indicates greater unassertive behavior (worse outcome).

The five-item Brooding subscale from the Ruminative Responses Scale (RRS) assesses the frequency with which participants experience brooding thoughts in response to depressed mood on a four-point scale from 1 (almost never) to 4 (almost always). An example item is: "People think and do many different things when they feel depressed. Please indicate what you generally do. 'Think what am I doing to deserve this?'" Item scores will be summed to produce an overall score ranging from 5 (min) to 20 (max), where a higher overall score indicates a higher degree of ruminative thoughts (worse outcome).