How Clinicians Can Support Rural Transgender Clients with Anxiety

What is it about?

Despite progress made in providing transgender care, minority stressors such as societal stigmatization and health provider pathologization are still commonplace for the transgender communities. Anxiety disorders, such as generalized anxiety disorder, are prevalent in these communities. This article examines literature concerning how rural transgender people disproportionately experience minority stressors and lack protective factors. Research indicates the associated psychological distress (i.e., anxiety) is exacerbated due to a lack of access to culturally competent care. This article explores expanding cultural competence training and access to affirming care to effectively treat conditions like generalized anxiety disorder in rural transgender individuals.

Featured Image

Photo by Mercedes Mehling on Unsplash

Photo by Mercedes Mehling on Unsplash

Why is it important?

There has been progress made in the dissemination of affirmative and culturally competent transgender care. However, there is still a significant history of minority stress in the form of medical pathologization and societal stigma, both of which still exist today and influence the mental health of transgender clients. Anxiety disorders are one of the most common psychological disorders and are especially prevalent in the transgender communities. This is partly due to the aforementioned minority stressors, both causing and exacerbating anxiety. Rural transgender people with heightened stressors and a lack of protective factors are at heightened risk of prolonged struggles with anxiety disorders like generalized anxiety disorder relative to the overall LGBTQ communities. Because there is less access to culturally competent care and an increased rate of minority stress for transgender people living in rural areas, those individuals are at risk of exacerbated clinical anxiety. If care is improved through expanded training programs, novel care approaches (e.g., text therapy and virtual therapy), and public policy changes to require ongoing culturally competent training for clinicians, this may improve willingness to enter treatment and benefit from treatment by alleviating minority stress and anxiety symptoms. Furthermore, treatment outcomes may be optimized because more affirming attitudes and increased clinician knowledge are associated with an increased likelihood of strong therapeutic rapport, which is crucial to positive psychotherapy outcomes that alleviate psychological distress (i.e., anxiety).

Perspectives