Understanding Intimate Partner Violence and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Among Transgender and Nonbinary People: The Role of Social Support and Affirmed Gender

The current study aimed to examine the experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV), the relationship to PTSD, and the impact of social support and living in one's affirmed gender in this convenience sample of two-spirit, transgender, and nonbinary (collectively referred to as trans) community members. The impact of different types of social support (i.e., the quantity of the social support and the quality of the social support) on the relationship between IPV and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), as well as if these relationships differ as a function of whether the individual lives in their affirmed gender was also explored. A total of 160 trans individuals completed a survey containing measures of IPV, transgender-specific IPV, PTSD symptom severity, social support, community belongingness, and living in one's affirmed gender. Data were analyzed using bivariate correlations, moderated moderations, and two-way interactions. Most participants experienced IPV (n = 116); for those not living in their affirmed gender (n = 19), a majority of whom fell outside of the gender binary, transgender-specific perceived social support (p = 0.04) and transgender-specific structural support (p = 0.04) moderated the relationship between IPV and PTSD symptom severity. These findings highlight the high rates of IPV experiences in this sample of trans community members and lend evidence to emphasize the importance of understanding social support in the context of living in affirmed gender. Findings underscore the need to conduct more research on IPV and the protective aspects of social support from PTSD in this community.